MoPac/U.S. 290 Interchange Project is complete and open

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Sunset Valley Mayor Rose Cardona and State Rep. Paul Workman, along with other officials, cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening of the MoPac/U.S. 290 Interchange on December 5.

As part of a regional partnership, the City of Austin together with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and State officials announced recently the completion of the final flyover bridge at MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) and U.S. 290.

Texas Department of Transportation Austin District Engineer Greg Malatek joined Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and other officials in the grand opening ceremony.

“Starting today, travelers through this corridor using the new flyovers will shave off nearly 8 minutes a day from their commute through this intersection,” said Mayor Leffingwell at the Dec. 5 ceremony.

The flyover bridges now connect northbound MoPac to eastbound 290, and westbound 290 to southbound MoPac.

“The completion of this project is a testament to our partners working together with a regional vision to achieve much needed mobility improvements,” said State Senator Kirk Watson, who helped kick off the project nearly two years ago.

Previously, the lack of these connections was a major regional bottleneck affecting not only Southwest Austin but also Sunset Valley. With the completion of this project, the direct connections will help to improve mobility and transit reliability in the corridor by eliminating travel through the traffic signals, resulting in significant reductions in congestion, fuel consumption and air pollution.

Bypassing traffic signals in both directions, the nearly 28,000 drivers will save hundreds of hours daily in travel time. By 2032, 43,000 daily travelers are expected to use the new flyovers.  In the first year of operation, approximately 44,000 gallons less gasoline will be consumed, and about 340 metric tons of CO2 will be reduced through this initiative.

The project’s estimated cost is $9 million, well under the $13 million anticipated and approved by the Austin City Council. The City of Austin has agreed to pay for the project under a Pass-Through Financing Agreement with TxDOT, and will be reimbursed 80 percent of the project’s expected cost (about $10.1 million) over the next 10 to 15 years.