Since the morning of Aug. 30, 2026, Loop 360 through traffic has run under the Westlake Drive and Cedar Street bridges. Drivers no longer stop for a light at either intersection. TxDOT started this $72.1 million project in June 2022, paying for it with its own money and the City of Austin's 2016 mobility bond. It is expected to finish in late 2026, weather permitting.
This is the only stretch of Loop 360 near Westlake that is close to its final layout. Heavy construction has already moved north to Courtyard Drive and RM 2222, where it is scheduled to run until late 2029. The crossings on the south and west sides of Westlake, at Bee Cave Road, Walsh Tarlton Lane and the Redbud Trail bridge, either have no funded timeline or have construction scheduled to run into the 2030s. For anyone who drives Loop 360 daily, the Westlake Drive pattern is the one to learn well, because it is the one that will stay.
How the Westlake Drive Interchange Works Right Now
TxDOT opened one new mainlane in each direction, and the movements around it break down like this:
- Through traffic stays in the left lane and passes under both bridges without stopping.
- Drivers headed to Westlake Drive or Cedar Street exit right onto the connector roads, which still serve both streets.
- Drivers who need to turn around use the unsignalized U-turns on the Westlake Drive bridge, which connect to both northbound and southbound Loop 360.
- Southbound drivers can still use the U-turn south of Bold Ruler Way.
KXAN's preview of the switch, published Aug. 28, carried that last point from TxDOT's press release:
"The southbound U-turn located south of Bold Ruler Way will continue to remain open, according to a press release from TxDOT."
On Sept. 1, the Austin American-Statesman's highway construction tracker published a photo of traffic moving beneath both new bridges. The bridge U-turns are the most important change here. A driver coming out of the neighborhoods off Westlake Drive can now get onto Loop 360 in either direction without waiting for a signal cycle on the highway.
What Is Left Before the Layout Stops Changing
The current single lanes are not the final configuration. TxDOT's phase list for the project shows where things stand:
- Phase 1, complete: work zone setup and waterlines.
- Phases 2 through 4, ongoing: new connector roads, drainage and shared-use paths; the Westlake Drive bridge; the Cedar Street bridge; and completion of the northbound and southbound mainlanes.
- Phase 5, still ahead: final paving and striping, then the switch to permanent traffic patterns.
NewsRadio KLBJ's Aug. 28 report said the same thing: after the opening, crews still had to finish both mainlanes, complete the final paving and striping, and move traffic into its permanent pattern. In other words, the stripes on the road this fall will move at least once more.
The finish date has already slipped. In February 2025, Community Impact's construction update and TxDOT's June 2025 construction information sheet both projected completion in mid-2026. TxDOT's project page and Community Impact's Oct. 12, 2026 roundup now both say late 2026, with mainlane work between Bold Ruler Way and Pennybacker Bridge continuing until then.
Until the project wraps, the work follows a set schedule. Excavation runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and hauling happens overnight. Lane closures come in overnight blocks. From Oct. 11 to Oct. 15, for example, the northbound and southbound connector roads between Pennybacker Bridge and the Shell Refuel station had alternating single-lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. TxDOT posts new closure windows on its Westlake Drive/Cedar Street project page, so check there before a late drive toward the bridge.
This project has changed access around that Shell station before. In August 2025, Community Impact reported that the double U-turns near Cedar Street and the Shell at 3310 N. Capital of Texas Hwy. had closed. At the time, closures at Cedar Street sent drivers to Westlake Drive instead. The bridge U-turns that opened since then have taken over much of that role.
The Construction Zone Moves North, to Courtyard Drive and RM 2222
Construction on the Courtyard Drive/RM 2222 project started in April 2026, and TxDOT expects it to finish in late 2029. The plan removes the Loop 360 signal at Courtyard Drive by building an underpass, rebuilds the RM 2222 junction as a diverging diamond interchange, and adds shared-use paths and sidewalks.
This project has already changed how some drivers reach Loop 360. As of TxDOT's Aug. 31 traffic map, the eastbound RM 2222 entrance ramp to southbound Loop 360 is closed. Drivers now turn right at the RM 2222 signal to go south. The northbound Loop 360 exit ramp to RM 2222 now has three lanes: left turn only, left turn or straight, and right turn only.
The four phases give a sense of how long this will take. Phase 1 includes cutting into cliffs. Phase 2 builds the connector roads, braided ramps and the Courtyard Drive bridge. Phase 3 builds the diverging diamond. Phase 4 is final paving and striping. Weekday work runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Saturday work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. when needed. TxDOT warns that nearby residents and businesses may notice more noise, vibration and dust during excavation and night work. In mid-October, overnight closures reached as far as the stretch of eastbound RM 2222 between Lakewood Drive and Loop 360, which was cut to one lane.
The Other Crossings Are Years Away or Unfunded
Elsewhere on the corridor, the schedule looks very different. The table below lists every other project that affects how Westlake connects to the rest of Austin, using the latest dates from TxDOT, the City of Austin and Community Impact.
| Project | What is planned | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road | Overpass at the cross street; mainlane signals removed | Environmentally cleared in summer 2023; construction depends on funding and could begin as early as 2029 |
| Loop 360 at RM 2244 (Bee Cave Road) | Intersection improvements; TxDOT will evaluate a diverging diamond interchange | Will move forward once more funding is available; timeline TBD |
| MoPac to RM 2244 | Overpass at Walsh Tarlton Lane; overpass or underpass at Lost Creek Boulevard and Westbank Drive | Construction depends on funding; timeline, cost and funding source all TBD |
| Redbud Trail Bridge | New bridge | Design and permitting underway; construction contract to be let in Spring/Summer 2027; construction scheduled from Summer 2027 to Fall 2031 |
| Bee Cave Road AI traffic signals | Nine AI-driven signals | West Lake Hills approved funding April 22, 2026; no installation timeline reported |
Redbud Trail has slipped the most. In February 2022, Community Impact reported weekday closures between Stratford Drive and the bridge for underground utility studies, along with a construction estimate of 2023–24. The City of Austin's current Redbud Trail Bridge schedule now has construction starting in summer 2027 and ending in fall 2031, with design, environmental clearance and permitting still in progress. That puts the finish about seven years past the original estimate.
Bee Cave Road is in a similar position, but for a different reason. TxDOT's RM 2244 project page describes a center turn lane between Redbud Trail and Walsh Tarlton Lane, along with shoulders and sidewalks. That work is finished. Texas Contractor reported that TxDOT held the ribbon cutting in December 2019. The two projects that would change how Bee Cave Road meets Loop 360 are the RM 2244 interchange and the Walsh Tarlton overpass, and both are listed as unfunded with no timeline. For now, the main improvement planned for that corridor is West Lake Hills' signal upgrade. Community Impact reported in May that the city funded nine AI signals along Bee Cave Road to improve traffic flow, but no installation date has been published.
Sorting the Daily Drive by How Long It Will Last
Taken together, the routes in and out of Westlake fall into three groups.
The Westlake Drive and Cedar Street interchange is close to finished. One more round of striping and a permanent traffic pattern are due by late 2026, and through traffic already skips both lights. The bridge U-turns and connector roads people are learning now should mostly hold after that.
The RM 2222 and Courtyard Drive approach is in the early phases of a project scheduled to last into 2029. Ramp changes like the Aug. 31 closure will keep coming as each phase begins. TxDOT's Courtyard Drive/RM 2222 page is the place to check before driving north toward the 2222 corridor.
The Bee Cave Road, Walsh Tarlton Lane, Lakewood Drive and Redbud Trail crossings sit on longer or open-ended clocks. The Loop 360 projects at Walsh Tarlton and RM 2244 have no timeline until funding is found. At Lakewood Drive, the earliest TxDOT has said work could begin is 2029. At Redbud Trail, construction is scheduled to start in summer 2027 and run until fall 2031.
Projects like this can change the details people have to plan around when moving in or out, such as which roads a moving truck can use, how long it takes to reach a showing, and when construction might be heard from a given street. If you are planning a move in the next few seasons and want to know how a particular Westlake address sits relative to this work, Roxanne Escobedo can go through the timeline with you, in English or Spanish. Schedule a confidential consultation.
