Austin awarded $32M for Barton Springs Road Bridge replacement

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin's Barton Springs Road Bridge is receiving $32 million from the federal government for rehabilitative work on the nearly 100-year-old bridge, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration announced Thursday.

The funding allocation comes via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which earmarked $40 billion across a five-year timespan to address "a backlog of bridge projects," per the announcement. Thursday's latest allotment included almost $635 million for 22 bridge projects nationally, including Austin's.

Austin City Council voted last December to begin design work on replacing Barton Springs Road Bridge. That council co-sign came after city transportation officials noted substantial degradation to the bridge, which was first built in 1926 as a two-lane bridge prior to a 1946 widening.

Those issues included spalling concrete, the delineation of beams, cracks in the bridge deck as well as curbs and railings that don't meet present-day ADA standards. As of December 2023, city leaders estimated roughly 20,000 vehicles travel across the bridge daily, noting it is a critical access point to Zilker Park.

KXAN first reported in March Austin City Council approved a resolution seeking up to $32 million in federal funding for the project. The replacement work is estimated to cost $40 million; the remaining $8 million will be funded via local mobility bonds, city documents confirmed in March.

The project will replace the current three-span bridge with a widened one, featuring multimodal paths for pedestrians and cyclists. It will also address lane misalignments present in the current version.

Federal officials said the awarded projects are designed to enhance safety and mobility across the country while aiding the U.S.'s economic vitality and supply chain.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, more than 11,000 bridges in communities across America are finally getting the repairs they’ve long needed with funding from our infrastructure law,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release. “With the awards we’re announcing today, another 22 major projects will move forward, making sure that people and goods can get where they need to go, safely and efficiently.”