Transit priority lanes coming to East Riverside

A two-mile stretch of East Riverside Drive between Summit Street and Grove Boulevard will be getting transit priority lanes. The new lanes will be used by nine Capital Metro bus routes that transport nearly 20 percent of the agency’s riders, according to an Austin Transportation Department news release. The lanes are expected to “organize traffic flow, improve the corridor’s efficiency and enhance transit performance on East Riverside Drive prior to the implementation of the Blue Line as part of Project Connect.” Look for new signage and “BUS ONLY” pavement markings to identify the new lanes, located on the right side of the street in the curbside travel lane. While the priority lanes are intended for buses, other vehicles will be allowed to use them in order to make right turns. Transportation Department Director Robert Spillar said, “The transit priority lanes will move more people through this busy corridor, even when traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels. The project is also an important step toward the more connected, multimodal system envisioned in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan.” Installation will start in late February and the project is scheduled to be completed by early April. Find more facts and a project map here.