NEW SECTION OF 183 TOLL ROAD TO OPEN

Beginning as early as Saturday, September 19, 2020,* the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will open an additional section of the 183 Toll Road between Techni Center Drive and Bolm Road. The new section will bring the total length of the 183 Toll Road to more than 4 miles. Drivers will be able to use the new section without incurring any additional tolls.

Under the new configuration, drivers heading north will pay a toll if they do not keep right and use the US 183 “Last Free Exit”, located just north of the Colorado River near Bolm Road.

Initially, all northbound drivers wishing to access Techni Center Drive, FM 969 (MLK Jr. Blvd), and Loyola Lane should use the US 183 “Last Free Exit” to reach those routes. However, by the end of September a new northbound exit ramp on the toll road will open for access to FM 969 (MLK Jr. Blvd) and Loyola Lane. The toll at that new ramp will be $0.89 via a prepaid toll account like TxTag or a $1.34 for those who choose to Pay By Mail.

After the new section of toll road opens, southbound drivers who enter the 183 Toll Road will be able to travel an extra 1.3 miles farther south at no additional cost and will merge with the non-tolled US 183 general-purpose lanes near Smith Road.

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NORTHBOUND US 183 EXIT TO AIRPORT BLVD., 5TH, 7TH, AND CESAR CHAVEZ STREETS TO REOPEN

Airport Blvd. Access to Northbound US 183 Re-established

Beginning as early as Sunday, September 13, 2020,* traffic on northbound US 183 will be temporarily detoured onto the future northbound 183 Toll Road between Thompson Lane and Bolm Road. Tolls will be waived on this section of the 183 Toll Road while the detour is in place.

At the same time, the new northbound US 183 general-purpose lane bridge over the Colorado River will open, re-establishing the downtown exits to Airport Blvd., 5th Street, 7th Street, and Cesar Chavez Street. With the reopening of the downtown exits, the temporary detour and turnaround at Smith Road will be eliminated. During this phase of construction, if a driver misses the exit to downtown they will need to use the turnaround at FM 969 (MLK Jr. Blvd) to get to Airport Boulevard and the other downtown streets.

In addition, traffic on Airport Boulevard will again be able to access northbound US 183, Austin Public Health and the Austin Animal Center via two-way traffic on Levander Loop.

How to Access the Downtown Exits from Northbound US 183

Drivers wishing to access Airport Boulevard, 5th Street, 7th Street, and Cesar Chavez Street should follow the detour onto the 183 Toll Road, keep right and exit to the right underneath the the Montopolis Drive overpass and before the bridge over the Colorado River. After exiting onto the northbound US 183 general-purpose lanes and crossing the Colorado River, drivers will follow overhead signs, taking a right at the fork to continue to Airport Blvd. or taking a left at the fork to access Cesar Chavez Street, 5th Street, or 7th Street.

Northbound drivers who exit onto the US 183 general-purpose lanes immediately north of Thompson Lane, who leave businesses located off the general-purpose lanes north of Thompson Lane or who head north from Hergotz Lane will be able to cross the Colorado River via the new northbound general-purpose lane bridge and then connect to the downtown exits via the left lane, or continue northbound on US 183 via the right lane.

How to Access Northbound US 183 from Airport Blvd.

Drivers wishing to access northbound US 183 from southbound Airport Boulevard should turn left at the newly installed signal located at Levander Loop.

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NORTHBOUND US 183 TO EASTBOUND SH 71 EXIT CLOSURE

Long-Term Detour via Patton Avenue U-turn

Beginning as early as the night of August 19, 2020* and lasting into the month of October, the northbound US 183 exit to eastbound SH 71 towards the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will be closed. This closure is necessary to rebuild the exit ramp.

Drivers needing to reach eastbound SH 71 from northbound US 183 should continue northbound on US 183, use the north-to-south U-turn at Patton Avenue on the left, then stay left to use the southbound US 183 exit to eastbound SH 71.

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US 183 TRAFFIC SHIFT PLANNED FOR MAY 2020

Impacts to Northbound and Southbound Travel Between Thompson Lane and Smith Road

Beginning as early as May 17, 2020,* there will be a traffic shift on US 183 between Thompson Lane and Smith Road to allow for construction of new tolled and non-tolled lanes in the area. The shift will impact both northbound and southbound travel. Drivers are urged to exercise caution while traveling, as signage and lane movements will be different and access to some businesses will be different. These changes will be in place for several months.

Impacts to Southbound Travel: The southbound travel lanes will temporarily shift onto the future southbound toll road from Smith Road to the Colorado River, with the following impacts:

Drivers wishing to reach Airport Boulevard, 7th Street, 5th Street, Cesar Chavez Street and Levander Loop will use a new temporary right hand exit just south of Bolm Road

Eastgate Road and Bolm Road will be closed at US 183 Access to the Johnston Terrace neighborhood will be via Thurgood Avenue, Smith Road, Interchange Boulevard or Gardner Road o Smith Road will remain open for local business access (more info) Drivers wishing to access Bolm Road can use Smith Road, Interchange Boulevard or Gardner Road

Drivers who use the south-to-north US 183 U-turn at Levander Loop will not be able to access the temporary north-to-south US 183 U-turn at Smith Road. To access southbound US 183 from that point, continue northbound to FM 969 (MLK Jr. Blvd.) and use the U-turn at the intersection.

Impacts to Northbound Travel: The northbound travel lanes will temporarily shift onto the future toll road near Thompson Lane and rejoin the exisiting lanes near Smith Road, with the following impacts:

Drivers wishing to access Hergotz Lane and the north to south US 183 U-turn at Montopolis Drive should exit to the right just past Thompson Lane Drivers wishing to access the Guajardo Tire Shop or Montopolis Supply Co. should also use the Hergotz Lane/Montopolis Drive exit

Drivers headed to Austin Plant Supply or Hatchet Alley should use the Callahan’s General Store driveway just past Thompson Lane

Drivers headed to Austin Water Facility, Contractors Asphalt, Texas Concrete, Texas Materials, or Waste Water Transport Services should use the north-to-south U-turn at Smith Road, keep right to exit towards Levander Loop, then stay left to use the south-to-north U-turn at Levander Loop.

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MAP: North of the Colorado River

MAP: South of the Colorado River

WESTBOUND SH 71 EXIT TO E. RIVERSIDE DRIVE TO CLOSE

Detour via Montopolis Drive

Beginning as early as May 10, 2020,* the exit for East Riverside Drive from westbound SH 71 will be closed for several months. The closure will occur in combination with a temporary realignment of westbound SH 71 that will allow for safe construction of a flyover ramp between the 183 South project and SH 71 near Riverside Drive. The westbound SH 71 exit to southbound US 183 has been closed and will remain closed during this next phase of construction. Various detour options will be available for drivers wishing to access southbound US 183 or East Riverside Drive:

Westbound SH 71 Detour(s) to East Riverside Drive

Option 1:

Heading west on SH 71, continue past the exit to East Riverside Drive; keep right and exit to Montopolis Drive

Keep right and follow the SH 71 frontage road to Montopolis Drive

Turn right onto Montopolis Drive

Take Montopolis Drive to East Riverside Drive

Option 2:

Heading west on SH 71, continue past the exit to East Riverside Drive; keep right and exit to Montopolis Drive

Stay on the SH 71 frontage road, keep left and use the U-turn at Montopolis Drive to access the eastbound SH 71 frontage road

Take the eastbound SH 71 frontage road to East Riverside Drive

Westbound SH 71 Detour to Southbound US 183:

Heading west on SH 71, keep right and exit to northbound US 183

Take US 183 north to Patton Avenue

Keep left and use a temporary north-to-south US 183 U-turn located at Patton Avenue

Merge onto southbound US 183 and head south

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BOLM ROAD U-TURNS TO BE RELOCATED

Please be advised of upcoming changes to US 183 between the Colorado River and Boggy Creek. Beginning as early as December 22, 2019,* the U-turns at Bolm Road will be closed and traffic detoured to U-turns located at Levander Loop and Smith Road. With removal of the Bolm Road U-turns, the signal on southbound US 183 will no longer be active and drivers will not have to stop. The relocation of the U-turns will allow the contractor to finish construction of the future 183 Toll Road in the area around Bolm Road.

Northbound to Southbound U-turn: Drivers on northbound US 183 wishing to access southbound US 183 or downtown Austin will continue north past Bolm Road and utilize the U-turn located near Smith Road. Drivers using the U-turn will not have to stop or yield when they enter southbound US 183 as they will have a dedicated lane. The new configuration will allow plenty of space for drivers to gain speed and change lanes, if necessary, prior to the southbound exit for downtown streets like Airport Boulevard. The relocation of the U-turn and removal of the traffic signal at Bolm Road is expected to reduce southbound traffic delays in the area.

Southbound to Northbound U-turn: Drivers on southbound US 183 wishing to access northbound US 183 will continue past Bolm Road, keep right, exit US 183 and follow the signs for northbound US 183 via Levander Loop. After exiting southbound US 183, drivers will keep left to enter the Levander Loop U-turn. In conjunction with the changes, the Levander Loop U-turn will be restriped to give drivers entering northbound US 183 their own lane. This change will allow for the existing stop sign at Levander Loop and northbound US 183 to be removed. The changes are expected to improve traffic flow for drivers using the Levander Loop U-turn.

*Dates are subject to change based on weather and other circumstances.

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HISTORIC MONTOPOLIS STEEL TRUSS BRIDGE PERMANENTLY CLOSED

The Montopolis steel truss bridge is permanently closed to vehicular traffic as of Monday, Oct. 8. Traffic coming from Cesar Chavez Street has been shifted onto a new bridge to access US 183 southbound above the Colorado River. The bridge will remain open for bicycle and pedestrian use. DOWNLOAD ALERT