Barton Springs Road safety pilot

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For the latest updates on this project, visit the  Barton Springs Road Safety Pilot project webpage .  

The information below is from the summer of 2023 when the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department carried out the initial public process for the safety pilot. 

Austin is a  Vision Zero  city, committed through multiple  policy actions  to achieving zero traffic-related fatalities or serious injuries.

The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department staff have evaluated Barton Springs Road between Stratford Drive and South Lamar Boulevard for proposed safety and mobility improvements that would be carried out in a 12-month pilot project.

The proposed design would be optimized for safety by reconfiguring the vehicle lanes from east of Lou Neff Road to South Lamar Boulevard, having shorter pedestrian crossings, improving bus stops, and upgrading bicycle lanes that provide physical separation for people outside of motor vehicle traffic. These proposed improvements would be funded primarily with the  2020 Vision Zero / Safety Bond  with other bond programs contributing.

City of Austin mobility engineering and Vision Zero teams have completed analysis of the traffic volumes, speeds, crash history, and existing conditions on Barton Springs Road to determine potential engineering treatments to improve safety for everyone using this street.

 Learn about Vision Zero 

A severe crash on Barton Springs Road occurred in April 2022. A driver traveling westbound at over 50 mph on Barton Springs Road collided into another driver who was turning left at Sterzing Street. The impact of the collision sent the second driver’s vehicle into a crowd of people who were on the sidewalk, resulting in 10 serious injuries.

City staff have analyzed safety data and collected motor vehicle operations data for this segment of Barton Springs Road.

Over a recent five-year period, from May 2018 through April 2023, there were 241 documented crashes on Barton Springs Road, 81 of which have full crash reports. On average, a vehicle-related crash happened every 7.5 days over that five-year period. The  comprehensive crash cost  for this section of the roadway just under one mile long over the past five years is $19,210,000.

Operational data analysis from May 2022 revealed that across one 24-hour period, over 100 vehicles were recorded traveling faster than 45 mph on Barton Springs Road where the posted speed limit was 35 mph at the time. About 25% of these speeding vehicles were traveling above 50 mph. Recent analysis shows that on average 70 vehicles per day traveled above 45mph, based on data collected in a 30-day period from April 2-May 3, 2023.

As an initial response to the crash and data collected, the City implemented treatments to address immediate safety concerns in the area.

• Lower speed limits: The speed limit along Barton Springs Road was reduced to 30 mph from 35 mph in December 2022.

• Safer access: Crews installed flex posts at Jessie Street, Lee Barton Drive and the Picnic Food Truck Park as well as a median extension at Josephine Street to provide safer vehicle turning patterns, in February 2023. These access changes prevent drivers from making left turns across both directions of traffic along Barton Springs Road. Nearby safer U-turns options provide the same access.

Recognizing Barton Springs Road is an important motor vehicle connection, the proposed design for Barton Springs Road is expected to maintain motor vehicle capacity while improving safety for all users of the street and access for people walking, bicycling, and taking transit.

• Provide one vehicle lane in each direction between Azie Morton Road and South Lamar Boulevard to improve safety and multimodal facilities
• Maintain motor vehicle capacity along the corridor by providing additional vehicle lanes at the intersections of South Lamar Boulevard and Azie Morton Road
  • Motor vehicle congestion typically occurs at signalized intersections because each direction of traffic must stop while other directions take their turn. Detailed traffic modeling shows the proposed design would add some length to motor vehicle queues at signals, but drivers are expected to get through the signalized intersections in the same signal cycle as today. (See “How It Works” section below.)
• Upgrade bicycle lanes by increasing their width and adding physical separation from motor vehicle traffic to improve safety for people in the bicycle lane and on the sidewalk
• Create safer and shorter pedestrian crossings on Barton Springs Road and side streets
• Safely connect to a future continuous ADA-accessible pedestrian route through Zilker Park along the north side of Barton Springs Road
• Relocate bus stops to locations with safer pedestrian crossings
• Improve safety of left-turn movements by maintaining U-turns for local access

The typical cross-section approach shown below for Barton Springs Road between Azie Morton Road and South Lamar Boulevard is expected to significantly reduce crashes for all modes of travel and high-risk motor vehicle speeds.

Motor vehicle congestion typically occurs at intersections with signals because each direction of traffic must stop while other directions take their turn. In contrast, a free-flowing lane away from a signal can carry about three times the volume of traffic as a lane through a signal.  Watch a video  about how streets can become safer while also supporting existing motor vehicle traffic.

In the proposed design, motor vehicle capacity along Barton Springs Road would be maintained by keeping all existing lanes at the intersection of South Lamar Boulevard and keeping both eastbound lanes at Azie Morton Road. Motor vehicle capacity along Barton Springs Road is determined by the South Lamar Boulevard intersection since South Lamar Boulevard has heavier traffic and receives more of the signal time than Barton Springs Road at the intersection.

In the westbound direction, after the South Lamar intersection, Barton Springs Road would merge into a single lane until it opens back to two lanes near Lou Neff Road. In the eastbound direction, after the Azie Morton Road intersection, Barton Springs Road would merge into a single lane until it opens back up well before South Lamar Boulevard. Kinney Avenue is a minor intersection that carries lower traffic volumes, so a single through-lane plus dedicated left-turn lanes on Barton Springs Road accommodate all motor vehicle volumes.

Although motor vehicle queues would become longer during peak traffic periods at Azie Morton Road, drivers are expected to still clear the traffic signal in a single signal cycle as they do today. At Azie Morton Road, analysis shows it is possible to accommodate all vehicle traffic with a single westbound lane. This westbound lane gets more signal time since there are no eastbound left-turn conflicts. Maintaining a single westbound lane for motor vehicle traffic allows for significant improvements in bicycle and pedestrian comfort over the bridge leading into Zilker Park.

 Download the initial schematic of proposed improvements .

These proposed improvements are expected to enhance safety for everyone on Barton Springs Road, including the most vulnerable road users, such as people dining outdoors, walking, bicycling or riding a scooter. 

This project aims to improve safety along Barton Springs Road with:

• Reduced unsafe motor vehicle speeds and passing
• Reduced crash risk, with a single-lane environment and fewer conflict points
• Physical separation for people walking, bicycling, or rolling, from motor vehicle traffic
• Safer connections to future sidewalks through Zilker Park
• Safer and shorter crossings for pedestrians and bicycle and transit users

Preliminary results for a project of similar scope and motor vehicle traffic volumes on  South Pleasant Valley Road , over Longhorn Dam between Willow Street and Lakeshore Boulevard, show dramatic reductions in crashes on an annualized basis after the project was completed in 2021.

• 82% reduction in injury and fatal crashes
• 46% reduction in total crashes
• 46% reduction in crashes involving people walking, bicycling, or riding scooters

The proposed design would be in place for 12 months and is easily reversible depending on pilot results. Most implementation materials would be paint and flex posts.

Over the pilot period, City staff would gather robust before-and-after data and observations to evaluate the impacts of the pilot and determine next steps for the long term. Pilot success would consider changes in crashes and safety, speeds, multimodal access, public feedback, and motor vehicle operations.

The initial comment period closed on June 30, 2023. Results are linked on the  project webpage .

TPW staff have communicated with the project management teams of the  Zilker Park Vision Plan  and  Barton Springs Road Bridge project , which are two related, but independent, initiatives. While there is geographic overlap and shared goals between the three initiatives, each stands alone in their respective processes. As the Zilker Park Vision Plan process continues, it is recognized that mobility-related aspects in the plan will need further detailed analysis for the section of Barton Springs Road west of Lou Neff Road to MoPac before implementation, and results of this safety pilot project will help inform future analysis. The Barton Springs Road Bridge design process is in its preliminary phase and construction funding has yet to be identified for the bridge, so the safety pilot project will provide the necessary improvements to enhance safe, multimodal access over the bridge for the near-term future.

•  Barton Springs Road Bridge Project 
•  Barton Springs Road and Stratford Drive Shared Use Paths 
•  Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan 
•  South Lamar Boulevard Corridor Mobility Program 

For more information, email  MobilityBonds@austintexas.gov  or call (512) 974-2300 and leave a message.