Work started this year on a $743 million 183 South Expressway project in Austin, Texas, which will widen U.S. 183 between U.S. 290 and SH 71 into a 12-lane superhighway. The project was started in April and is expected to be complete in 2020.
The 8-mile stretch of highway currently carries about 60,000 vehicles a day. The new highway will handle triple that amount. Three of the lanes in each direction will be toll lanes, while the remaining three lanes will be non-toll lanes.
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is in charge of the project. It was created in 2002 to improve the transportation system in Travis and Williamson counties. The project was developed in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, the city of Austin and Capital Metro.
Construction of the project is being done in two phases. Phase 1 improvements span U.S. 183 from U.S. 290 south to just north of Boggy Creek near Bolm Road. Those improvements are expected to be complete in 2019.
The second phase, stretching the remaining distance to SH 71 interchange, will finish up about a year later.
