East Riverside Drive Corridor
The City of Austin continues to make needed sidewalk and intersection improvements on East Riverside Drive. With the passage of Proposition A on November 3, 2020, and plans for Project Connect to install a light rail (the Blue Line) on East Riverside Drive, we are coordinating with Capital Metro on the full design of critical
mobility and safety improvements for the East Riverside Drive Corridor.
View the Construction Updates Webpage
Ongoing Improvements
Frontier Valley Drive Intersection
- New traffic signal with protected left turns
- Extended curbs to provide traffic calming and shorten the crossing distance for people walking and biking
Vargas Road Intersection
- New traffic signal with protected left turns
- Extended curbs to provide traffic calming and shorten the crossing distance for people walking and biking
Completed Projects
Burton Drive/Tinnin Ford Road Intersection
- Extended left turn bays at Royal Crest Drive and Tinnin Ford Road (both directions) to accommodate more vehicles and reduce rear end collisions
- Upgraded traffic signal
- Improved curb ramps
- Improved pedestrian crossing
- Closed median opening at Town Creek Drive
- Closed median opening between Tinnin Ford Road and Willow Creek Drive
Willow Creek Drive Intersection
- Extended turn bay from westbound Riverside Drive to southbound Willow Creek Drive to accommodate more vehicles and reduce rear end collisions
- Upgraded traffic signal
- Improved curb ramps
Coriander Drive Intersection
- Extended left turn bay to accommodate more vehicles and reduce rear end collisions
- New traffic signal
- Improved curb ramps
- Closed median at Uphill Lane
- Median adjustment will restrict left turns from
- Airport Commerce Drive to eastbound Riverside Drive
- Riverside Drive to southbound Airport Commerce Drive
Wickersham Lane Intersection
- Extended turn bay from westbound Riverside Drive to southbound Wickersham Lane to accommodate more vehicles and reduce rear end collisions
- Improved curb ramps
Montopolis Drive to SH 71
- Sidewalk improvements
- Bus stop improvements
- Median closure at Lawrence Street/ Thrasher Lane
- Hooded left turn at Yellow Jacket Lane
East Riverside Drive Transit Priority Lanes
ATD and Capital Metro have partnered to bring two miles of transit priority lanes to East Riverside Drive. The lanes between Grove Boulevard and Summit Street organize traffic flow and improve on-time transit performance and the efficiency of Capital Metro service. Installation was completed in early April.
The transit priority lanes are installed in the curbside lane and operate all day in each direction. New signage and updated roadway markings establish the lanes. Other vehicles can enter the transit priority lanes in order to make a right turn.
Preparing for Construction
On April 2019, City Council authorized staff to complete additional design and engineering to prepare the projects for construction. Activities will include:
- Developing corridor construction plans and preparing for construction by:
- Obtaining permits
- Developing traffic management plans
- Coordinating utility relocations
- Purchasing right-of-way
- Determining construction packaging, phasing and sequencing
- Obtaining permits
- Designing placemaking areas
- Completing environmental investigations and documentation
- Continuing to explore leveraging/partnership opportunities
- Conducting ongoing community engagement with neighborhoods, businesses and property owners to understand their priorities and concerns.
Public Engagement
Corridor improvements are informed by the community’s needs and input. Community engagement played a critical role in developing the Corridor Construction Program and the East Riverside Drive Corridor Mobility Plan. Public support for the corridor improvements was expressed through voter-passage of the 2016 Mobility Bond.
Stakeholder Briefings 💼
The CPO has been meeting with various stakeholder groups to discuss improvements and obtain feedback. We are happy to schedule additional meetings upon request.
Engaging with Businesses 🏢
The CPO walked East Riverside Drive in March 2020 to share information about improvement plans with corridor businesses. We also conducted a series of Business Workshops in October 2018, inviting the owners and representatives of businesses located along the nine roadways where Corridor Construction Program improvements are planned to collect input on how the City can help reduce the impacts of construction. This input is being used to develop a Business Success Toolkit.
Engaging with Property Owners 🏘️
In fall 2017, the CPO sent letters to all corridor-facing property owners along East Riverside Drive to share information about improvement plans. In 2019, as part of final design, we have been conducting meetings with potentially impacted property owners to share the latest information and obtain feedback, which will be used to refine improvement designs. These meetings are ongoing, and will occur to coincide with each construction segment’s project development process.
Public Meetings 🚪
On Saturday, August 11, 2018, we hosted an open house meeting at IDEA Montopolis, to share information about planned improvements for East Riverside Drive and obtain community feedback to refine the design of the improvements. Click here to view the official Public Meeting and Community Feedback Report.
Stay Connected
Public feedback remains at the heart of our efforts to make this corridor safer and easier to travel. We will continue to engage the public throughout design and construction, share the latest plans with the community by various methods including: public meetings, stakeholder meetings, electronic updates, and more. We welcome your comments and questions, so please feel free to reach out to us:
- By phone 📞 (512-974-7904)
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Corridor Mobility Plan
The City of Austin finalized a Corridor Mobility Plan for East Riverside Drive in December 2013. This plan recommended short and long-term improvements for mobility and safety along the corridor. The Corridor Mobility Plan was the basis for development of the Corridor Construction Program.
View the full East Riverside Drive Corridor Report.