Southbound I-35 to close in South Austin this weekend for construction

Construction on the Interstate 35 Capital Express South project in South Austin will cause overnight southbound main lane road closures on the highway over the weekend, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

The closure, on I-35 from SH 71/Ben White Boulevard to Stassney Lane, will be in place overnight Friday, Nov. 14, from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m., and again on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m., weather permitting.

Drivers will be detoured via the frontage roads, with signs posted to direct traffic. Eastbound SH 71 drivers should exit at Congress Avenue, while westbound SH 71 drivers should take northbound I-35, exit at Oltorf Street, and use the U-turn to head south.

The shutdown will allow crews to work on the highway’s new elevated managed lanes. This is the third weekend that this sections of I-35 will be closed for construction.

I-35 Capital Express South Project construction continues near Stassney Lane in South Austin on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. The TXDOT project overview says the project will add two high-occupancy-vehicle managed lanes in each direction along I-35 between SH 71 and SH 45 Southeast and a southbound I-35 bypass lane that will allow traffic to bypass Stassney Lane and William Cannon Drive. The projected completion date is late 2028.

Work continues in I-35 Capital Express North near US 183 in Austin, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.