From the cover
Building bridges
Austin Avenue traffic data The 2024 Austin Avenue corridor study by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization reviewed traffic along Austin Avenue. From FM 971 to University Avenue, it found the following:
Digging deeper
The big picture
Construction began on the Austin Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation project in October 2024, almost a decade after the city rst identi ed structural issues resulting from deterioration and increased tra c in the area. From 2016 to 2020, the city worked with the Texas Department of Transporta- tion to conduct studies and community outreach to nd the preferred solution, according to city documents. To preserve the history and character of the bridges that cross the north and south forks of the San Gabriel River, the city chose to rehabilitate them rather than replace them. The $12.7 million project, funded by the 2021 voter-approved mobility bond, will address the structural repairs, as well as safety upgrades and drainage improvements. Crews are replacing the bridge surface and supports, repairing damaged concrete, and cleaning and repainting the structure. The project will also widen existing lanes to 11 feet, add shoulders and
Austin Avenue is “an important entry point to [the] historic square,” Systems Engineering Director Wesley Wright said in a statement. The new pedestrian bridges will link the north and south portions of the river trails, city documents show. At the same time, the rehabilitation of the vehicle bridges aims to remove load weight limits and extend its lifespan. “The rehabilitated vehicular bridges and the new pedestrian bridges are elements of the larger Austin Avenue improvement project, which will enhance tra c ow and safety,” Wright said in the statement. Looking ahead, the city is also planning a roundabout at the intersection of San Gabriel Village Boulevard and Austin Avenue.
352 total vehicle crashes between 2018-2022 30,000 average vehicles per day between 2020-2023
8 signalized intersections
13 pedestrian crossings
SOURCE: CITY OF GEORGETOWN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
install new railings, according to city documents. During construction, Austin Avenue has been reduced to one lane in each direction from West Morrow Street to Second Street. The rehabilitation is expected to be complete this spring, o cials said.
Planned projects
Vehicular bridges rehabilitation
New pedestrian bridges
New roundabout at San Gabriel Village Boulevard & North Austin Avenue
What else
we are,” Freese and Nichols CEO Brian Coltharp said at a Dec. 9 council workshop meeting. In response, the rm o ered a partial refund of fees and presented alternative designs to City Council, which landed on a concrete bridge that is less expensive to construct. The revised design is estimated to cost $14.7 million for construction, and is tentatively scheduled to wrap up in July 2027. “We’re not building … this pedestrian bridge, for any of us,” Georgetown resident Liz Weaver said to City Council at a March 2024 meeting. “We’re building it for our grandchildren. … You have the option to build something where people walk out on it at night and go, ‘Wow, this is so cool.’”
The city is also working on a separate project to build pedestrian and bicycle bridges parallel to the existing vehicular bridges. Plans for these bridges happened concurrently with the rehabilitation plans, as the city recognized the “very narrow sidewalks on the bridges,” Wright said. Although Georgetown City Council originally approved the design for these bridges in March 2024, the project faced a setback in December after design rm Freese and Nichols miscalculated the amount of steel needed. “Our [quality control] process caught it, but unfortunately it was at the 90% [design] stage and is late in the game, obviously, with the costs where
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Overlook
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The new concrete Austin Avenue bridge design includes a 12-foot pedestrian pathway, lighting and San Gabriel River overlooks, as well as connections to the San Gabriel Trail and Blue Hole Park.
SOURCE: CITY OF GEORGETOWN COMMUNITY IMPACT
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