Special Traffic Update – October 1, 2020
October and Fall have arrived and so has football game day traffic. This issue of the newsletter is all about the traffic and what to expect if you are returning to work in the Capitol Complex or surrounding areas or planning on attending a UT sports event.
Before you get in your car, take a moment to check out our construction site webcam to see the progress of the new Texas Capitol Mall and State office building. Visit: www.TexasCapitolComplex.org and scroll to the middle of the page for a bird’s eye view of the construction sites. Once you see the busy construction sites, the changing traffic patterns will make more sense.
SAFETY ALERT – Drive defensively and slow down on MLK Blvd. between Lavaca and Trinity
Lane Closures on MLK Blvd. in front of the Museums – The inside eastbound lane of MLK Blvd. from Colorado to Brazos Street (in front of the Bullock and Blanton Museums) will be closed for the duration of the Capitol Complex construction project. This lane will be used as a construction loading zone for the underground parking garages. Watch out for heavy equipment and construction vehicles entering and exiting the site.
Expect lane closures on MLK Blvd. between Brazos and San Jacinto, as there is also considerable construction work on the Employee Retirement System building on that corner. (This is not a TFC project.) Drive carefully in this area as well.
IMPORTANT: Use extreme caution turning onto San Jacinto from MLK Blvd. in either direction.
Lane Closures on San Jacinto and 18th Street – There are lane closures and uneven pavement from MLK Blvd. to 15th Street on San Jacinto. Please use extra caution when traveling south on San Jacinto from MLK Blvd. to 15th Street. The intersection of San Jacinto and 18th Street is down to one lane.
Lane Closures on San Jacinto between 14th and 15th Street – Use caution when traveling on San Jacinto south of 15th street. The left lane of San Jacinto adjacent to Garage A, between 15th and 14th Streets, will be closed for utility work from October 5 through November 5 during weekday hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and continuously as needed on the weekends.
Closure of 18th Street between San Jacinto and Brazos – This block of 18th Street is closed due to utility work.
Closure of the Intersection of Brazos and 18th Street – This intersection is closed due to utility work. Access the ERS parking lot via Brazos. Access the W.B. Travis Building via 17th Street and Brazos. The Brazos entrance to Garage R is open.
- 18th Street and Brazos (adjacent to Travis & ERS Building)
- 18th Street and Colorado (between the Bullock Museum and S.F. Austin Building)
- 17th Street and San Jacinto (Garage R and the LBJ Building)
- 16th Street and San Jacinto (Garage P)
New Crane installations – Three additional tower cranes are forthcoming. 18th Street along the Bullock Museum will serve as a staging and delivery site for one crane. The Museum parking will remain open for patrons and flaggers will coordinate traffic in the area. The other cranes will enter and stage from MLK Blvd. and Congress Avenue and be moved into position along Congress for the work on the underground parking structure.
Street work and paving – Brazos from MLK Blvd. to 17th Street, and 18th and 17th Streets from San Jacinto to Brazos will be paved and stripped in mid-October. Look for crews on the weekends of October 10 through October 11 and October 17 through October 18.
Visitors to Scholz Garten (San Jacinto and 17th Street) – Watch out for construction vehicles exiting the construction zone traveling east on 17th Street.
Follow us on Twitter for specific details on street closures. @TFCtx
