AUSTIN, Texas — Drivers in Austin may face delays at the Parmer Lane bridge on Interstate 35 at the start of this weekend, but hopefully not for long.
The bridge is set to close on Friday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. But, on Saturday at noon, the new diverging diamond interchange (DDI) over I-35 is set to open.
The Texas Department of Transportation said the bridge is closing to stripe the DDI in preparation for it to open. Benefits of the DDI include safety, mobility, connectivity and frontage road traffic flow, according to my35.org.
The new “innovative intersection design” does come with traffic flow changes. Drivers will temporarily switch lanes when Parmer Lane crosses I-35 to allow through and left-turning traffic to move through the intersection at the same time.
TxDOT said cars traveling east or west on Parmer Lane will shift to the left side of the bridge and then shift back to the right after exiting the DDI. Cars turning left onto I-35 will shift left, cross the bridge and exit onto the highway on the left.
New bypass lanes were created for “frontage road traffic” so cars can avoid the Parmer Lane interchange completely. Traffic on the frontage roads not using the bypass lanes will have to turn left or right lane at Parmer Lane.
Police will be directing traffic throughout the weekend at the bridge, according to a press release. During the closing, cars will have to take a detour, which is a U-turn at either Howard Lane or Yager Lane.
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