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I-35 construction impact to Lady Bird Lake
Major construction is happening on the I-35 expansion project which will last for years. It's not just affecting the roads, though, but also Lady Bird Lake and the hike and bike trail.
AUSTIN, Texas - The I-35 Capital Express Central project is going to impact the area around Lady Bird Lake and the Hike and Bike Trail.
What we know:
Starting Sunday, August 10, the parking lot under the I-35 bridge will close for equipment storage.
Later on, TxDOT says short segments of the trail near I-35 will be shut down for a week at a time, up to three times a year, for rebuilding the bridge in 2026. TxDOT will also build a dock west of the bridge.
Trail-goers may notice the trail shifting by several feet. There will also be detours on the north and south shores of the trail, but the exact spots have yet to be decided. TxDOT says there will be advance notice of those changes.
The City of Austin says there may be closures of Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach, Waller Beach, Chicano Park, and Norwood Dog Park during construction phases. However, TxDOT says they will use easements, and the parks will remain open.
The city also says there will be tree trimming and removal. TxDOT will work to prevent construction runoff from getting into the lake and monitor the water quality.
The construction impacts are expected to last through 2033.
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I-35 construction closures to begin Friday night
The Texas Department of Transportation is temporarily closing the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge at I-35 for continued demolition of the north side of the bridge. More closures, restrictions and detours will begin this weekend and continue intermittently through 2033.
What they're saying:
"The closure of the trail is for the safety of the public. As we reconstruct I-35 over Lady Bird Lake, we will have to demolish the existing bridge. We of course don't want any members of the public standing under the bridge while that happens," Orlando Gallegos, South Travis area engineer with the Texas Department of Transportation, said.
"We understand the importance of the trail. We are designing these detours to have minimal impact to everybody who uses the trail," Gallegos said.
Trail-users react
Local perspective:
Those who frequent the trail share how construction will affect them.
"It ruins the ability to do an easy loop around the lake, which is what all the residents want to do every possible chance they can," Christine Cruise said.
"Long term I'm excited for this to be a bigger space and it to help with traffic, but in the meantime I'm going to be really bummed," Madison Huerta said. "I'll probably have to go across downtown and park over by Austin High. It's just probably one of the best places for me, versus kind of crossing the river, so it's probably going to add 15, 30 minutes and travel to what used to be a 5, 10 minute travel for me."
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen.