Motorists traveling throughout Central Texas are being advised by state transportation officials to prepare for widespread travel delays as a new series of major overnight road closures begins along Interstate 35. The Texas Department of Transportation has announced that multiple sections of the heavily traveled interstate corridor will undergo extensive nighttime maintenance work starting on Sunday, September 13, and continuing through the week.
The scheduled road improvements are expected to significantly alter typical traffic patterns across several heavily populated transit corridors in the Austin area. While the agency has scheduled the operations during the overnight and early morning hours to limit interference with daytime commuter rushes, officials note that the sheer scale of the work will inevitably produce bottlenecks for nighttime travelers.
One of the primary work zones will directly impact a substantial southern stretch of the interstate. According to the state transit agency, both the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 35 situated between Oltorf Street and State Highway 45 Southeast will be subject to planned closures and severe traffic restrictions throughout the multi-day operational window.
For the southern segment spanning between Oltorf Street and SH 45 SE, the construction schedule will take effect each night starting at 8:00 p.m. and will remain in place until 5:00 a.m. the following morning. These overnight restrictions will run consecutively from Sunday evening through Thursday morning, concluding on September 17.
In an official public advisory posted on the social media platform X, the Texas Department of Transportation explained that the overnight shutdown on this southern segment is necessary to allow work crews to conduct essential paving operations. In addition to asphalt and road resurfacing efforts, maintenance teams will be carrying out critical safety barrier installations and related repairs along the highway.
Due to the presence of active heavy machinery and specialized road crews, vehicular capacity on this portion of Interstate 35 will be severely constricted. Highway traffic will be narrowed down to a single open lane in select work zones, creating substantial constraints for long-haul and regional drivers navigating past Oltorf Street and toward SH 45 SE.
Furthermore, motorists traveling along the southern segment should be aware that normal access points will be unavailable during construction hours. The agency confirmed that multiple entrance and exit ramps linking neighboring communities to the main highway lanes will be temporarily shut down, necessitating detours for drivers attempting to enter or depart the interstate.
At the same time, another significant infrastructure project will be taking place further north along the corridor. The department confirmed that extensive nightly lane closures will simultaneously affect both northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 35 between Airport Boulevard and 12th Street.
The timing for the construction zone between Airport Boulevard and 12th Street will align directly with the southern project. Crews will restrict traffic flow nightly from 8:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m., running from Sunday night through Thursday, September 17, as transportation personnel conduct essential corridor maintenance.
The impacts surrounding the Airport Boulevard and 12th Street segment will extend beyond the main interstate highway lanes. TxDOT reported that the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge is slated to undergo varying nightly lane closures, presenting additional logistical hurdles for cross-town drivers seeking to traverse the elevated highway overpass.
Additionally, the frontage road network adjacent to the northern project site will be affected. Transportation planners indicated that both northbound and frontage roads running alongside Interstate 35 will experience fluctuating nightly lane closures, limiting alternate pathways for vehicles seeking to circumvent mainlane highway delays.
Beyond the operations planned directly on the interstate, state transit crews have also scheduled substantial roadwork on key municipal arteries. The department announced a notable street closure along Cesar Chavez Street, specifically across the busy stretch connecting Springdale Road and Brushy Street in East Austin.
The closure on Cesar Chavez Street will follow a distinct timeline compared to the highway projects. Work on this east-west corridor is set to commence each night at 7:00 p.m. and last until 6:00 a.m. the next morning, operating continuously on a Monday through Thursday schedule.
State transportation authorities confirmed that the disruption along Cesar Chavez Street between Springdale Road and Brushy Street is required so that crews can complete essential underground and surface utility work. Drivers relying on this East Austin route will need to seek alternate side streets during the eleven-hour nightly construction windows.
With multiple concurrent projects targeting the Interstate 35 mainlanes, frontage roads, overpass bridges, and vital arterial streets, transportation officials are urging the public to stay informed via online advisories and to exercise caution in active work zones throughout the multi-day maintenance period.
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