Austin police prepare for busy weekend downtown

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - The Urban Music Festival, Texas Relays, and Beto O'Rourke rally are all scheduled for this weekend, closing multiple streets in and around downtown for several hours.

Austin police are gearing up for that with several new security measures.

“We flood the exterior, we flood the interior and our officers are looking for people who are acting out, taking enforcement action and looking for folks that have guns on them,” said Assistant Chief Justin Newsom with the Austin Police Department.

APD said 75 to 100 extra police officers will be working to keep the peace as college students from the Texas Relays flock to 6th Street, R&B fans fill up Auditorium Shores for the Urban Music Fest and Beto O'Rouke rallies his fan base on Congress Avenue. “We're going to have our special response team that works to handle crowds and protests,” Newsom said.

This weekend’s events come on the heels of one of Austin’s biggest festivals, SXSW, where five separate shootings rattled people in the downtown corridor. “We had 176 cops just on 6th Street alone, and someone got shot right in front of us,” said Newsom.

To try and prevent that from happening again, APD will put extra officers on frontage roads and in parking lots between 5th and 7th streets from 6pm to 4am. “That's generally where we see a lot of the violence is people leaving after a night of partying, and then the violence happens in those parking lots,” Newsom said.

The gang and narcotics units will also have a downtown presence, water barricades will be set up along 6th Street and the exits off I-35 between 3rd Street and 12th Street will be shut down. “That just reduces congestion right here around the main heart of 6th Street where the majority of folks are,” said Newsom.

Police are asking everyone to keep one thing in mind as they enjoy all of Austin’s festivities.

“The number one thing we ask is, if you're going out for a night of drinking and partying, and especially if you don't have a permit to carry a gun, leave your guns at home,” Newsom said.

Full list of road closures this weekend:

Texas Relays, Saturday

I-35 SB 12th Street, 8th Street and Cesar Chavez exits will be closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
I-35 NB 6th through 8th Street exit will be closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Urban Music Fest, Friday and Saturday

Partial closures on Friday from 2 to 10 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. Bouldin Avenue from Barton Springs Road to Gibson Street Dawson Road from Barton Springs Road to S. 5th Street 5th Street from Dawson Street to Gibson Street Christopher Street from Bouldin Avenue to S. 3rd Street S. 3rd Street from Christopher Street to Gibson Street
Bouldin Avenue from Barton Springs Road to Gibson Street
Dawson Road from Barton Springs Road to S. 5th Street
5th Street from Dawson Street to Gibson Street
Christopher Street from Bouldin Avenue to S. 3rd Street
S. 3rd Street from Christopher Street to Gibson Street
Alternative east/west routes: Barton Springs Road and Cesar Chavez Street

St. James Mission 5K, Saturday

Partial closures from 8 to 11 a.m. MLK Boulevard from Airport Boulevard to Overhill Drive Overhill Drive from MLK Boulevard to Springdale Street Springdale Street from MLK Boulevard to E. 12th Street E 12th Street from Springdale Street to Airport Boulevard Airport Boulevard from E. 12th Street to Tillery Street Tillery Street from Airport Boulevard to MLK Boulevard
MLK Boulevard from Airport Boulevard to Overhill Drive
Overhill Drive from MLK Boulevard to Springdale Street
Springdale Street from MLK Boulevard to E. 12th Street
E 12th Street from Springdale Street to Airport Boulevard
Airport Boulevard from E. 12th Street to Tillery Street
Tillery Street from Airport Boulevard to MLK Boulevard
Full closures from 8 to 11 a.m. EM Franklin from MLK Boulevard to E. 12th Street Loreto Drive from MLK Boulevard to E. 17th Street E. 17th Street from Tillery street to Loreto Drive and from Greenwood Avenue to EM Franklin Avenue E. 16th Street from Deloney Street to Adriane Drive Deloney Street from MLK Boulevard to E. 12th Street Perez Street from MLK Boulevard to J.J. Seabrook Drive and E. 12th to E. 16th Street Adriane Drive from MLK Boulevard to E. 16th Street J.J. Seabrook Drive from MLK Boulevard to Adriane Drive Victoria Drive from MLK Boulevard to the end of the street Temple Drive from MLK Boulevard to Wildrose Drive Wildrose Drive from Temple Drive to MLK Boulevard Astor Place from MLK Boulevard to Leslie Avenue Elmira Road from MLK Boulevard to Leslie Avenue Kitty Avenue from Springdale Road to Elmira Road Leslie Avenue from Springdale Road to Cometa Street Glomar Avenue from Springdale Road to the end of the street Cometa Street from E. 12th Street to Leslie Avenue Luna Street from E. 12th to E. 16th Street Greenwood Avenue from E. 12th street to E. 17th Street
EM Franklin from MLK Boulevard to E. 12th Street
Loreto Drive from MLK Boulevard to E. 17th Street
E. 17th Street from Tillery street to Loreto Drive and from Greenwood Avenue to EM Franklin Avenue
E. 16th Street from Deloney Street to Adriane Drive
Deloney Street from MLK Boulevard to E. 12th Street
Perez Street from MLK Boulevard to J.J. Seabrook Drive and E. 12th to E. 16th Street
Adriane Drive from MLK Boulevard to E. 16th Street
J.J. Seabrook Drive from MLK Boulevard to Adriane Drive
Victoria Drive from MLK Boulevard to the end of the street
Temple Drive from MLK Boulevard to Wildrose Drive
Wildrose Drive from Temple Drive to MLK Boulevard
Astor Place from MLK Boulevard to Leslie Avenue
Elmira Road from MLK Boulevard to Leslie Avenue
Kitty Avenue from Springdale Road to Elmira Road
Leslie Avenue from Springdale Road to Cometa Street
Glomar Avenue from Springdale Road to the end of the street
Cometa Street from E. 12th Street to Leslie Avenue
Luna Street from E. 12th to E. 16th Street
Greenwood Avenue from E. 12th street to E. 17th Street
Alternative north/south routes: Airport Boulevard and IH-35
Alternative east/west routes: Rosewood Avenue, Oak Springs Drive, and Manor Road

Beto for America Launch, Saturday Beto

Full closures on Friday from 7 p.m. to Sunday at 7 a.m. Congress Avenue from 11th Street to 9th Street 10th Street from Colorado to Brazos
Congress Avenue from 11th Street to 9th Street
10th Street from Colorado to Brazos
Full closures on Saturday from 1 a.m. to Sunday at 1.a.m Congress Avenue from 9th Street to 8th Street 9th Street from Colorado to Brazos
Congress Avenue from 9th Street to 8th Street
9th Street from Colorado to Brazos
Full closure on Saturday from 7 a.m. to Sunday at 1 a.m. 11th Street from Colorado to Brazos
11th Street from Colorado to Brazos

Head for the Cure 5K, Sunday

Full closure on Sunday from 5 to 11:30 a.m. Amy Donovan Plaza from Domain Drive to Feathergrass Court
Amy Donovan Plaza from Domain Drive to Feathergrass Court
Full closures on Sunday from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m. Robinson Road from Amy Donovan Plaza to Esperanza Crossing Esperanza Crossing from Robinson Road to Alterra Parkway Alterra Parkway from Domain Parkway to Domain Drive
Robinson Road from Amy Donovan Plaza to Esperanza Crossing
Esperanza Crossing from Robinson Road to Alterra Parkway
Alterra Parkway from Domain Parkway to Domain Drive

ABC Kite Festival, Sunday

Full closure on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Barton Springs Road from Sterzing Street to Columbus Drive Stratford Drive from Barton Springs Road to Paige Drive Lou Neff Road from Barton Springs Road to Stratford Drive
Barton Springs Road from Sterzing Street to Columbus Drive
Stratford Drive from Barton Springs Road to Paige Drive
Lou Neff Road from Barton Springs Road to Stratford Drive
Partial closures on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sterzing Street from Barton Springs Road to Toomey Road Roomey Road from Sterzing Street to Jessie Street Kinney Avenue at Barton Springs Road Bee Cave Road from Edgegrove Drive to Mopac Rollingwood Drive at Mopac Robert E. Lee at Barton Springs Road Southbound Mopac Service Road from Rollingwood Drive to Bee Cave Road
Sterzing Street from Barton Springs Road to Toomey Road
Roomey Road from Sterzing Street to Jessie Street
Kinney Avenue at Barton Springs Road
Bee Cave Road from Edgegrove Drive to Mopac
Rollingwood Drive at Mopac
Robert E. Lee at Barton Springs Road
Southbound Mopac Service Road from Rollingwood Drive to Bee Cave Road
Alternative north/south routes: Mopac and Lamar Boulevard
Alternative east/west routes: Cesar Chavez Street, 5th Street and 6th Street