Speak your mind on the Barton Springs Bridge replacement
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The Barton Springs Road Bridge. Photo: Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia Commons
If you have strong feelings about the Barton Springs Road Bridge, the century-old structure that spans Barton Creek by Zilker Park, now's your chance to air them.
Driving the news: The city of Austin is hosting an open house Monday about the bridge reconstruction project — with a chance for the public to ask the project team questions directly.
State of play: The aging bridge needs significant structural work to remain safe and reliable, per city officials.
- The project will replace the bridge with a new structure designed to improve safety and mobility for all users, while honoring the original bridge's design.
Flashback: In 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the city of Austin had been awarded $32 million to replace the Barton Springs Road Bridge.
What they're saying: "All of us know that scary feeling of holding your breath as you walk across the 1920s bridge towards Barton Springs," U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin) said at the time.
- "With these federal dollars, every driver, biker, and pedestrian will be able to breathe easier. With an improved bridge, we can finally get to these Austin gems safely."
The other side: Bill Bunch, Save Our Springs Alliance's executive director, asked the Austin City Council not "to destroy this community treasure" in a letter earlier this month.
- Instead, the group is asking the city to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge a short distance away from the current bridge.
- In an email, the group warned its followers that the replacement would be "a bigger, uglier, and more dangerous highway bridge."
If you go: The open house is Monday, 5-7pm, at Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd.