{"id":451823,"date":"2026-09-30T05:22:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T05:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/451823\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T05:22:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T05:22:08","slug":"austins-most-flood-prone-roads-are-a-top-priority-as-heavy-rain-threatens-central-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/451823\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin\u2019s most flood-prone roads are a top priority as heavy rain threatens Central Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Central Texas is bracing for the possibility of heavy rain and dangerous flash flooding Wednesday into Thursday. State leaders are warning some areas could see up to 10 inches of rain if a cold front stalls over the Austin area.<\/p>\n

In downtown Austin, Lamar Boulevard between Ninth and 15th streets is among the roads the city lists as flooding most frequently. When Shoal Creek rises out of its banks, floodwater can cover parking lots, shut down Lamar Boulevard and move into nearby businesses.<\/p>\n

Owen Smith works at Thundercloud Subs along Shoal Creek. On Monday, the creek bed behind the restaurant was dry, but he said he knows how fast that can change.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sounding like there\u2019s a lot of rain coming in the next couple of days, so hopefully we don\u2019t get too much damage. But, I mean, we are\u2014yeah\u2014right on the creek,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

Governor Greg Abbott urged Texans to prepare for rapidly rising water and the possibility of becoming trapped on flooded roads.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody in that area is subject to the possibility of facing fast-moving water, rising water on roads, areas that you get surrounded by and not be able to get out of,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cPlease take caution to make sure that you are protecting yourself and your lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City of Austin also lists portions of Spicewood Springs Road among its roads that flood most frequently. That stretch has automatic closure gates, but officials say barricades and gates do not stop every driver from attempting to cross floodwater.<\/p>\n

ALSO| City of Austin prepares for incoming heavy rains, flood potential<\/a><\/p>\n

KEYE<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Brandye Hendrickson with the Texas Department of Transportation said even a small amount of fast-moving water can be dangerous for motorists.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust six inches of fast-moving water can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles,\u201d Hendrickson said.<\/p>\n

Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, repeated the state\u2019s flood-safety message.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn around, don\u2019t drown is the most important message we can get out,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cWe lose too many lives in people trying to drive through low water in their vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driving around a barricade on a flooded road is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas. Drivers can face up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, and possible rescue costs.<\/p>\n

For Smith, the expected rain also brings concern for the first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. He said he has attended ACL for more than a decade and remembers how much muddy conditions can damage Zilker Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got ACL coming up this weekend,\u201d Smith said. \u201cObviously, you know, a very big event. And being on grass, you don\u2019t want the grass to get torn up, and you don\u2019t want the rain to really ruin the atmosphere of the event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith is also concerned that repairing Zilker Park will keep the Great Lawn closed for weeks or months after the two-weekend October festival.<\/p>\n

Austin city leaders and public-safety officials are scheduled to hold a Wednesday press conference on safety measures for ACL and other major fall events. The rain threat is expected to be part of the discussion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Central Texas is bracing for the possibility of heavy rain and dangerous flash flooding Wednesday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-451823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}