Tue September 17, 2024 – West Edition #19
Map courtesy of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (Mobility Authority) celebrated the completion on Aug. 28, 2024, of the Barton Skyway Ramp Relief Project, a series of non-tolled improvements on southbound MoPac at the entry and exit ramps between Bee Caves Road and Loop 360 west of Austin.
The $10M non-tolled project added pavement for auxiliary and merge lanes to alleviate congestion and improve travel times throughout the corridor.
“Completion of the Barton Skyway Ramp Relief Project represents a critical first step in addressing congestion along southbound MoPac,” Mobility Authority Director James Bass said. “It also underscores the commitment by the Mobility Authority to reinvest back into the Central Texas region by delivering equitable and accessible transportation solutions that benefit all.”
The southbound MoPac corridor has struggled to accommodate the influx of residents in Central Texas, leading to unpredictable travel times, particularly during the morning and afternoon peak periods.
The bottleneck created by traffic merging onto southbound MoPac at the Barton Skyway and Bee Caves Road entrance ramps has contributed to traffic congestion, particularly at the Loop 360 southbound exit. Before construction, travel times between 35th Street and Loop 360 reached 38 minutes, ranking a stretch of MoPac including this section among the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI) list of Texas’ 100 Most Congested Road Sections (2023).
As an interim solution to the broader congestion problems along the corridor, the Mobility Authority — which is a local, independent government agency created in 2002 to improve the regional transportation system in Travis and Williamson counties — began developing the non-tolled improvements in 2019. Those include a new southbound auxiliary lane from Barton Skyway to Loop 360; a new acceleration lane for the southbound Barton Skyway entrance ramp: three dedicated through-traffic lanes under Loop 360: and a dedicated left lane exit ramp to southbound Loop 360.
The project delivered expedited benefits to users less than a year after beginning construction, with temporary striping to the final configuration implemented on Jan. 12, 2024, while the final punch list items were completed. Since opening to traffic, these enhancements have reduced travel times by nearly 30 percent on average, offering Central Texas residents a smoother commute.
The Mobility Authority operates 183A Toll, 290 Toll, 71 Toll Lane, MoPac Express Lane, 45SW Toll and 183 Toll.
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