Eastbound main lanes of US 290 opened Friday and concrete continues to be poured on SH 71 flyovers in southwest Austin.

AUSTIN, Texas — Drivers like Valarie Piña said the end of construction at “The Y” in Southwest Austin cannot come fast enough. 

“I started going the back way, since I do live in Oak Hill, to where I work. And, that’s helped me a lot. So I just avoid all of this in general now since November,” Piña said. 

She has seen the years of progress on the Oak Hill Parkway Project for herself. 

“I would like for them to finish it up,” Piña said. 

Traffic at the intersection of U.S. 290 and State Highway 71 has always been notorious for heavy traffic for decades. Now, it looks vastly different than it did when ground for the project broke in 2021. 

“We are very confident that we’re going to be finishing this project this year,” Cody McGuire, deputy project manager for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said. 

McGuire said the crews are moving at full throttle. He is not expecting any more major changes to the plan, which have caused delays in the past. 

“We have about 250 people working out here on the projects every day. We’ve just finished up all the excavation for the project. That’s over 2 million cubic yards of excavation for the project,” McGuire said. 

On Feb. 20, the eastbound US 290 main lanes opened to traffic. Drivers traveling from RM 1826 to William Cannon Drive can now bypass traffic lights at the original intersection. The next sign of progress, according to McGuire, is the concrete being poured along the flyover for SH 71. 

Ricardo Chapa is enjoying the slower pace of retirement, but not the pace of traffic at “The Y.” He has watched the progress of the project too and shared McGuire’s confidence in the work wrapping up later this year. 

“Well, I mean, I just noticed these bridges. I think they might do it. I mean, they’ve moved pretty far along, especially going towards dripping Springs,” Chapa said. 

McGuire said all major construction should wrap up midway through 2026, with all minor details being done by the end of the year. Until then, McGuire asks drivers to keep an eye on any changes in traffic patterns.Â