West 6th Street roadway improvement project begins construction Monday

Sidewalk reconstruction, parking, and bike lane project along the north side of West 6th Street from Baylor Street to Blanco Street is scheduled to start construction on Monday, July 12, 2010, lasting approximately eight weeks.

To minimize the impact on traffic and business, all construction work will be provided from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m., Monday through Saturday. Traffic control will be one north lane closure only, from 9:00a.m. – 4:00pm daily. Those traveling the route during this time are advised to be aware of any possible delays and to please drive carefully around construction.

The project will be split into four phases and each phase will be completed before the next begins, so no individual location should be directly affected for longer than two weeks.

The City of Austin’s Public Works Department has several objectives with the project, including construction of new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalks and curb ramps to provide a safe and accessible pedestrian route. The project aims to also continue bike lane connectivity to the west, provide additional on-street parking for local businesses, and create safer “reverse-angle” parking striping for car and cycling traffic.

A similar project for bike lanes with reverse-angle parking was recently successfully piloted on Dean Keeton Street. It was implemented and studied from 2009-2010. As during the Dean Keeton pilot program, “Parking Ambassadors” will be on hand at the 6th Street location to assist patrons and drivers with the new parking configuration once complete.

Contacts: Sara Hartley, Communications Manager, (desk) 974-1444, (cell) 560-4267