TxDOT delivers 6-lane Oak Hill Parkway after $677M overhaul

The Texas Department of Transportation has finished the major reconstruction of Oak Hill Parkway in Southwest Austin. The project, which began in 2021, is now substantially complete. It transforms a seven-mile stretch of road into a modern divided highway.

The total cost of the rebuild is $677 million. TxDOT officials stated that the final figure is nearly $680 million. The work took five years to execute. This timeline follows a planning phase that started nearly four decades ago.

Robert Vaughn, the Texas Transportation Commissioner, cut the ribbon on the new roadway on September 24. He noted that Texas is home to almost 32 million people. Vaughn said that population could reach 42 million by 2060. Austin recently became the first Texas city to surpass one million residents.

Vaughn stated that this growth places pressure on the state's transportation network. He described the Oak Hill Parkway project as a commitment to safety and mobility across Austin and the state. Steven Alvis, another Texas Transportation Commissioner, said the project addresses one of the region's most congested corridors.

The new roadway features six main lanes and new frontage roads. It includes 15 miles of shared-use paths. Drivers can now use bridge intersections at Convict Hill Road, RM 1826, Scenic Brook Drive, and Circle Drive. The intersection of Highway 71 and Highway 290, known locally as The Y, now has flyovers to separate through traffic.

Tucker Ferguson, the TxDOT Austin District engineer, said the project's roots go back to the 1980s. From 2005 to 2012, TxDOT worked with local groups to design the project. These groups included the Oak Hill Association of Neighbors and the Save Our Springs Alliance. Ferguson called the completion a milestone.

Local businesses have adjusted to the construction period. Natalie Sanders, general manager of Sweet Treets in Oak Hill Centre, added coffee to the menu to attract customers. She said foot traffic is still lower than before construction started. Matthew Fouss, a shift leader at Tucci’s Southside Subs, said the business updated its point-of-sale system to accept all delivery services.

Fouss reported that revenue increased, but the business pays higher fees to third-party apps. This has reduced profit margins. Sanders said the traffic bottleneck at William Cannon has improved. However, she believes decreased foot traffic will be a long-term impact. She stated that retail traffic is severely impacted because the road functions as a thruway.

Antonio Luján, a TxDOT public information officer, said the new nonstop mainlanes and flyover ramps are expected to improve emergency response times. Emergency vehicles can now travel through the corridor without stopping at traffic signals. An emergency vehicle access route was also added along westbound Highway 290 between Thunderbird Road and Scenic Brook Drive.

In 2025, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute ranked Oak Hill Parkway 45th on the state's Top 100 Congested Road Segments. Luján said there is an observable difference in the drive now that local traffic is separated from through traffic. Final tasks, including landscaping and painting on shared-use paths, will continue through November.