The southbound opening offers drivers a tolled express lane option as they travel south toward Downtown Austin.
AUSTIN, Texas — Commuters will have a new option as the southbound 183 Express Lanes open on Saturday, Feb. 28, as part of the 183 North Mobility Project.
The southbound opening offers drivers a tolled express lane route as they travel south from North Austin. The express lanes will use variable pricing, similar to the pricing used for the MoPac Express Lane. The price drivers see on the signs before entering the lane is the price they will pay.
“The opening of the express lanes on U.S. 183 began in a phased approach in early January in the northbound direction. We are pleased to share that Phases I and II of the 183 North Mobility Project have been successfully completed, and we are now preparing to move into Phase III of the opening,” said James Bass, executive director for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, of opening the southbound express lanes and the southbound direct connector to MoPac.
Construction on the 183 North Mobility Project began in spring of 2021 and is bringing multiple changes to a stretch of U.S. 183 in northwest Austin.
The two new express lanes in the center of southbound U.S. 183 are separated from non-tolled traffic by delineator posts, the mobility authority said.
Drivers exiting the 183 Express Lanes have different options when traveling southbound:
Stay in the right lane to continue southbound until the 183 Express Lanes merge into U.S. 183 to access Burnet Road, Payton Gin Road, Lamar Boulevard and Interstate 35.Stay in the left lane to access the direct connector to MoPac, which provides access to the MoPac Express Lane and the southbound collector-distributor road.
Barrels will block off the entrances to the new express lanes until the day they open.