Coming off the Pennybacker Bridge southbound, the left lane now dips under Westlake Drive and then under Cedar Street without a red light anywhere along the way. The right lane does what it has done for most of the last four years. It peels off onto a connector road and leads to signals, cones and a U-turn on a bridge. One stretch of highway now runs two different trips, and they sit at different points in the construction schedule.
That split is the useful thing to understand about Loop 360 this month. TxDOT's Westlake Drive/Cedar Street project has given the finished road to drivers going past Westlake. Drivers turning into Westlake Drive, Cedar Street, the Lake Austin boat ramp or Davenport Village are still on the temporary layout.
The Lane That Opened in Late August
KXAN reported on August 28, 2026 that TxDOT would open single lanes in each direction of Loop 360 "on Sunday morning," letting drivers bypass the signals at Westlake Drive and Cedar Street. TxDOT's project page now confirms the layout. One mainlane is open in each direction, and drivers stay in the left lane to get past both signals.
The new lanes are one lane wide in each direction. TxDOT describes the full project as removing the mainlane traffic signals and building underpasses at both cross streets, so Loop 360 runs below Westlake Drive and Cedar Street. Work started in June 2022. Community Impact puts the cost at $72.1 million, paid for by TxDOT and the City of Austin's 2016 mobility bond.
The part that feels finished is the commute to downtown or north toward RM 2222, as long as the driver never needs to stop in Westlake.
The Local Trip Still Uses the Temporary Layout
Drivers headed to an address near Westlake Drive or Cedar Street are still on the construction-era layout. Here is how each move works now, according to TxDOT and KXAN's coverage of the August change:
- Getting to Westlake Drive or Cedar Street. Exit right onto the connector road. The signals at those cross streets still control this side of the road.
- Turning around to head the other way on Loop 360. Use the non-signalized U-turns on the Westlake Drive bridge, which give access to both northbound and southbound Loop 360.
- Using the southbound U-turn near Bold Ruler Way. KXAN reported that the southbound U-turn south of Bold Ruler Way stays open.
- Staying on Loop 360. Keep left. That is the only move on this stretch that is already in its final form.
Those connector roads are where the rest of the construction is. TxDOT lists the northbound and southbound connector roads, the drainage systems and the shared-use paths as work still in progress. Shared-use paths and sidewalks are part of the project scope. Until TxDOT announces that they are open, the shoulder along this stretch is still a work zone, not a place to walk or bike.
What Is Left Before the Permanent Layout
TxDOT splits the job into five phases. Its project page currently shows them like this:
| Phase | Work | Status on TxDOT's page |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set up work zone, construct waterlines | Complete |
| 2 | Northbound and southbound connector roads, drainage, shared-use paths | Ongoing |
| 3 | Westlake Drive bridge, begin mainlanes | Ongoing |
| 4 | Cedar Street bridge, complete mainlanes | Ongoing |
| 5 | Final paving and striping, open to permanent traffic patterns | Not yet started |
Phase 5 is where drivers going to Westlake Drive and Cedar Street finally get the finished road. TxDOT's stated completion is "late 2026, weather permitting," and Copasa Group is the contractor. That date has already moved once. In June 2025, Community Impact reported a mid-2026 target. By Community Impact's October 30, 2026 roundup, the update read that mainlane construction between Bold Ruler Way and the Pennybacker Bridge would continue through late 2026.
The first week of November showed how that last stretch works. TxDOT scheduled overnight closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and moved them to a different local access point each night:
- Monday, Nov. 2: northbound mainlane between the Shell Refuel gas station and the Pennybacker Bridge, plus East Westlake access at Loop 360
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: the boat ramp access road at Loop 360
- Wednesday, Nov. 4: Cedar Street access at Loop 360
- Thursday, Nov. 5: West Westlake Drive access at Loop 360
During the day, TxDOT schedules excavation on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hauling runs at night. Closure lists like this one are posted for about a week at a time and replaced on a rolling basis. Anyone heading to the boat ramp or Cedar Street after dark should check the live TxDOT page that evening.
The Work Zone Moves North
Once Westlake Drive and Cedar Street reach Phase 5, Loop 360 work does not stop. It moves north. TxDOT broke ground on the Courtyard Drive/RM 2222 project on April 29, 2026, with work planned in four phases. That project removes the mainlane signal at Courtyard Drive, adds an overpass there and rebuilds RM 2222 at Loop 360 as a diverging diamond interchange with shared-use paths and sidewalks. It carries a $68.4 million budget and a 2026–29 timeline.
The new left lane through Westlake leads straight to that next work zone. A trip north on Loop 360 toward RM 2222 is likely to pass construction through the end of the decade, even after the Westlake segment is fully finished.
The rest of the Loop 360 program is further out. Community Impact's October 12 update lists the MoPac-to-RM 2244 segment, the RM 2244 intersection and the Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road project as upcoming. The first two depend on funding. Construction at Lakewood and Spicewood Springs "could begin in 2029." Bee Caves Road is getting a separate project at Hwy. 71, Hamilton Pool Road and Bee Cave Parkway. Bee Cave City Council approved a funding agreement with TxDOT in October, with a $2.8 million city share and a $3.7 million state share. That project's timeline is listed as TBD.
Short Errands in the Last Stretch of Construction
The destinations along this stretch are where the temporary layout matters most, because reaching them means taking the right-hand exit.
Davenport Village sits on the segment TxDOT has been rebuilding. Its progress photos include the temporary mainlanes at Davenport Village. One of the center's newer tenants is Branch + Bird Home Interiors at 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., Ste. D-130. Community Impact reported that it offers interior design services and home accessories.
The Lake Austin boat ramp under the Pennybacker Bridge has its own access road off Loop 360. It was one of the access points on TxDOT's overnight closure list in early November.
Further south on the same highway, Postino opened a Westlake café on September 13 at 701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Ste. J760, according to Community Impact. On Bee Caves Road, Teriyaki Madness has a location planned at 3231 Bee Caves Road. In September, Community Impact reported the project was in permitting with a tentative early-December opening.
The next big date on the local calendar comes before the year ends. The Westlake Chamber lists its free Westlake Wonderfest for Sunday, December 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Westlake High School. It will have Santa, student performances, local business booths, food and pony rides.
Until TxDOT finishes Phase 5, the simplest way to plan any of these trips is to look up the right-hand exit before leaving the house.
Infrastructure timelines like this one shape day-to-day life on specific Westlake streets, and they matter when a home's main route runs through Westlake Drive or Cedar Street. If you are weighing how the Loop 360 work affects a particular property or a planned sale, Jana Birdwell can walk through it with you street by street. Request a Private Consultation.
