Drive north on Loop 360 toward the Pennybacker Bridge today and the left lane carries you under Westlake Drive and then under Cedar Street without a red light. That trip used to mean two stops. Take the right lane instead, the one that leads home to a street off Westlake Drive or Cedar Street, and you're still in the middle of a work zone.
That split is the story of the Westlake Drive/Cedar Street project this fall. The underpasses opened first, and they mostly help people driving the length of the corridor. The connector roads, the shared-use paths and the permanent traffic patterns are the pieces that shape a 78746 resident's daily trips, and those are what TxDOT is still building.
The new lanes opened on a Sunday in late August
KXAN reported on Aug. 28, 2026 that TxDOT planned to open one new mainlane in each direction that Sunday morning, Aug. 30, so drivers could skip the signals at both intersections. By Tuesday, Sept. 1, traffic was running beneath both new bridges, according to a photo caption in the Austin American-Statesman's highway construction tracker.
For anyone who drove this stretch over the past four years, that's a real change. Construction started in June 2022. The project costs $72.1 million, paid for by TxDOT and the City of Austin's 2016 mobility bond, according to Community Impact's Oct. 12 roundup of Loop 360 work. The work removes the mainlane signals at both intersections and puts the highway under each cross street.
The lanes that opened serve a commuter heading from Davenport Village toward the Pennybacker Bridge, or the other way. Getting on and off at Westlake Drive and Cedar Street works differently.
How you get home in the current setup
Under TxDOT's current project page, these are the rules for the stretch right now:
- Passing through: Stay in the left lane. Loop 360 has one lane open in each direction, and that lane skips the signals at Westlake Drive and Cedar Street.
- Going to Westlake Drive or Cedar Street: Exit right. The connector roads carry you to the cross streets.
- Turning around: Use the U-turns on the Westlake Drive bridge. They have no signals and lead to both northbound and southbound Loop 360.
- Southbound U-turn near Bold Ruler Way: KXAN reported that the southbound U-turn south of Bold Ruler Way stays open.
That last item has a history. At TxDOT's February 2025 community update, residents asked for an extra U-turn south of Bold Ruler Way. The project team said then that it was looking at whether one could be built safely without pushing bypass traffic through nearby neighborhoods. A turnaround near Bold Ruler is part of the setup drivers use today.
So the through-trip got simpler first. The local trip still runs on connector roads that are under construction.
What TxDOT is still building
TxDOT splits the project into five phases. Its project page lists them like this:
- Complete: Set up the work zone and build waterlines.
- Ongoing: Build new northbound and southbound connector roads, drainage systems and shared-use paths.
- Ongoing: Build the Westlake Drive bridge and begin the northbound and southbound mainlanes.
- Ongoing: Build the Cedar Street bridge and complete the mainlanes.
- Not yet started: Final paving and striping, then open the permanent traffic patterns.
Look at what's still open in that list. Phase 2 covers the connector roads, the routes into Westlake Drive and Cedar Street that residents use, and it's still underway. The shared-use paths are part of the same phase. Phase 5 decides where the lanes, turns and access points end up for good. The schedule on the page says the project should be done in late 2026, weather permitting, and the contractor is Copasa Group.
TxDOT's posted work hours explain why the corridor still sounds busy after dark. 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., and hauling happens at night.
Early November's closures were mostly local access
TxDOT's closure schedule for the first week of November shows where the work has moved. All but one night's closures hit a local connection, not the through lanes.
| Night | What closed, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Access to Bold Ruler Way and Waymaker Way from northbound Loop 360, alternating |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Northbound Loop 360 mainlane between the Shell/Refuel station and the Pennybacker Bridge, plus East Westlake access at Loop 360 |
| Tue., Nov. 3 | The boat ramp access road at Loop 360 |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | Cedar Street access at Loop 360 |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | West Westlake Drive access at Loop 360 |
The connector roads between the Pennybacker Bridge and Bold Ruler Way also had alternating single-lane closures every night from Nov. 1 through Nov. 5.
East Westlake, West Westlake, Cedar Street, Bold Ruler Way, Waymaker Way and the road down to the boat ramp below the Pennybacker Bridge each had a night of closures. Only one night closed a through lane. TxDOT updates these closures on the project page each week, and that page is the best place to check before a late drive home through the work zone.
What the finished version is supposed to add
What's left is the part residents will use most outside a car. TxDOT's February 2025 community Q&A describes the shared-use paths in their final form:
"Alongside the new mainlanes, these 10 ft wide paths are generally 5 ft away from the roadway's curbs and gutters. They will not be striped but are wide enough for bicyclists and pedestrians to use simultaneously without conflict. There will also be protected east to west shared use paths on the Westlake and Cedar Street bridges."
The protected crossings on the two bridges matter most here. Right now Loop 360 splits the Westlake Drive and Cedar Street neighborhoods east from west, and those paths are the planned way to cross it on foot or by bike. TxDOT still lists them as Phase 2 work in progress.
The same Q&A covers how the bridges will look. TxDOT plans natural limestone surfaces, painted finishes, star motifs and retaining walls finished to look like native stone. The Pennybacker Bridge itself isn't getting wider. TxDOT said there are no plans to change it beyond regular maintenance.
Down the corridor, the RM 2244 work has no start date
The other Loop 360 project already underway is miles north at Courtyard Drive and RM 2222. Community Impact's Oct. 12 roundup puts the rest of TxDOT's Loop 360 program on very different timelines:
| Project | Scope | Timeline | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westlake Drive/Cedar Street | Underpasses at both cross streets, shared-use paths and sidewalks | 2022–26 | $72.1 million |
| Courtyard Drive/RM 2222 | Overpass at Courtyard Drive, Diverging Diamond Interchange at RM 2222 | 2026–29; broke ground April 29 | $68.4 million |
| RM 2244 | Intersection improvements; a Diverging Diamond Interchange is being evaluated | TBD; waiting on more funding | TBD |
| MoPac to RM 2244 | Overpass at Walsh Tarlton Lane; overpass or underpass at Lost Creek Boulevard and Westbank Drive | TBD; construction depends on funding | TBD |
| Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road | Overpass at the cross street, removing mainlane signals | Construction depends on funding; could begin in 2029 | TBD |
Neither the RM 2244 intersection project nor the MoPac-to-RM 2244 stretch past Walsh Tarlton, Lost Creek Boulevard and Westbank Drive has a timeline or funding yet. Courtyard Drive and RM 2222, where TxDOT broke ground April 29, are on a schedule that runs through 2029. For drivers around Westlake Drive and Cedar Street, that means the paving, striping and paths finishing this season are likely the last big Loop 360 change near home for a while.
For background on how the corridor got here, see our earlier piece on the Loop 360 work near Westwood and what opened at Davenport Village. For more on daily life in the zip code, our 78746 neighborhood page is a good place to start.
Road projects like this one are something we follow closely at Jenny Walker because they change how a street off Westlake Drive or Cedar Street works day to day: the drive to school, the late trip home, the walk across a bridge that's only now getting a protected path. If you'd like to know how the finished Loop 360 layout could affect your home's value, ask us for your Home Valuation & Westlake Guide.
