On Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, TxDOT opened new Loop 360 mainlanes that run under Westlake Drive and Cedar Street. For the first time in years, through traffic on this part of Capital of Texas Highway doesn't have to stop at either signal. The project started in June 2022. The Community Impact Loop 360 roundup from Oct. 12 lists its cost at $72.1 million, paid for by TxDOT and the City of Austin's 2016 mobility bond.
About two months in, the signal-free lanes are a milestone, but the corridor isn't done. The Westlake Drive project still has its final phase ahead. A second project started this spring on the other side of the Pennybacker Bridge and is scheduled to run until late 2029. Over the next three years, the biggest changes on Loop 360 will be at the lake: the county boat ramp under the bridge and the cliffside overlook above it.
How the new layout works
There's one new mainlane in each direction. TxDOT's Westlake Drive/Cedar Street project page describes how to drive it:
- To keep going on Loop 360, stay in the left lane. It goes under the Westlake Drive and Cedar Street bridges and skips both signals.
- To get to Westlake Drive or Cedar Street, exit right onto the connector road, which still serves both cross streets.
- To turn around, use the non-signalized U-turns on the Westlake Drive bridge. They lead to both northbound and southbound Loop 360.
- The southbound U-turn south of Bold Ruler Way is still open, according to KXAN's Aug. 28 report on the opening.
That covers the daily trip. For years, a run to the cross streets meant waiting through the light along with everyone headed toward the bridge. Now the through traffic and the local traffic each have their own lanes.
What TxDOT still has to finish this year
TxDOT says the project will be done in late 2026, weather permitting. The plan has five phases. Its project page lists phases two through four as ongoing:
- Phase 2: new northbound and southbound connector roads, drainage systems, and shared-use paths
- Phase 3: the Westlake Drive bridge and the start of the new mainlanes
- Phase 4: the Cedar Street bridge and completion of the mainlanes
- Phase 5: final paving and striping, then a switch to permanent traffic patterns
So the lanes that opened Aug. 30 aren't the final layout. Phase 5 is when the corridor gets its permanent striping and traffic patterns. TxDOT also says mainlane construction between Bold Ruler Way and the Pennybacker Bridge continues through late 2026. Excavation runs weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hauling happens overnight. If you live near this stretch and hear trucks after dark, that's the hauling schedule.
The project schematic shows a 10-foot shared-use path and a six-foot sidewalk at Westlake Drive. TxDOT still lists them under the ongoing phases, so for now they're features under construction, not routes you can use yet.
Short-term lane closures also keep changing. The most recent window on TxDOT's page was overnight alternating single-lane closures on the connector roads between the Pennybacker Bridge and the Shell station, Sunday, Oct. 11 through Thursday, Oct. 15. That window has passed. Before a late-night drive, check the project page for the current schedule.
Where the work goes next
TxDOT is rebuilding 14 miles of Loop 360 under its Texas Clear Lanes congestion-relief program. Here's where each segment stood as of the Oct. 12 Community Impact roundup:
| Project | Status | Timeline | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westlake Drive/Cedar Street | Under construction; mainlanes open | 2022–2026 | $72.1 million |
| Courtyard Drive/RM 2222 | Broke ground April 29, 2026 | 2026–2029 | $68.4 million |
| Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road | Environmentally cleared; waiting on funding | Construction could start in 2029 | TBD |
| RM 2244 | Waiting on more funding | TBD | TBD |
| MoPac to RM 2244 | Waiting on funding | TBD | TBD |
Courtyard Drive is already an active work zone, and once the Westlake Drive project wraps up, it will be the main one on this part of Loop 360. That project will take the Loop 360 signal at Courtyard Drive off the mainlanes, rebuild the RM 2222 interchange as a diverging diamond, and add shared-use paths and sidewalks. TxDOT expects it to finish in late 2029. Farther north, Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road hasn't reached construction. Utility relocation comes first, and TxDOT notes that this work may sometimes need lane closures of its own.
The squeeze moves to the lake
Two of the area's best-known spots by the water sit right where the work is heading.
The first is the Loop 360 Boat Ramp, a Travis County park at 5019 Capital of Texas Hwy North, under the south end of the Pennybacker Bridge. It's a public launch onto Lake Austin with three ramp lanes. The ramp is open 24 hours, while the park is open from sunrise to civil twilight. Travis County Parks says TxDOT construction has cut parking to the 10 boat-trailer spaces inside the park. The county suggests rideshare for anyone meeting friends or catching a charter, and entry fees are cash only. There's no electricity or drinking water at the site.
The second is the Pennybacker Bridge overlook, the cliffside view that's become a must-stop for out-of-town guests. The county notes that the overlook isn't part of its park system. In January 2025, Community Impact reported that the new Courtyard Drive intersection will remove the road shoulders where many visitors park to reach the overlook. To plan for that, Austin City Council filed eminent domain proceedings the month before that report for land at 5379 W. Courtyard Drive. The parcel is owned by 360 Overlook, LLC and was appraised at $167,186. The plan runs along the west side of North Capital of Texas Highway between Lake Austin and Courtyard Drive. Then-council member Alison Alter, who represented District 10, laid out the goal at the Dec. 12 meeting, as Community Impact reported:
"This acquisition is allowing us to provide safe access to the Pennybacker Bridge overlook, and it will also allow the Texas Department of Transportation to bring a large and safe parking zone."
That parking zone and the expanded trail are still plans that go along with a project now in its first year. The shoulder parking that works today is the same shoulder parking the Courtyard project is set to remove. If you're taking guests to the overlook this season, plan for that spot to change during construction.
The exits still lead to the same places
Right at the interchange, the right-hand exits still reach Davenport Village at 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy. Its owner lists Maudie's Tex-Mex, Club Champion, and Salons by JC among the center's longtime tenants. In March 2025, Community Impact covered a planned renovation of the center that announced Starbucks Reserve, Pvolve, and CUBExec as incoming tenants. TxDOT's progress photos from October 2024 show temporary mainlanes running right next to the center. With through traffic now moved down to the new lanes, the connector road is the way in.
At the south end of Westlake's stretch of Loop 360, the newest restaurant is Postino Westlake at The Village at Westlake, 701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. It opened on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, as RM2244 reported the next day. It's away from the work zone and makes an easy meeting spot for anyone coming from either direction.
If you're timing a move around TxDOT's schedule or want to know how the finished interchange could affect your street, Dru Brown is happy to go over it with you, along with a personalized home valuation that accounts for where your property sits on this corridor.
