At a Glance
- Austin’s Transportation Dept. releases pedestrian-first design for Sixth Street, adding a dedicated parking lane and bollards.
- The plan prioritizes foot traffic with 25-foot sidewalks and 12-foot building-side space.
- Construction funding will come from federal grants or a future voter bond referendum.
Why it matters: Residents and visitors can expect a safer, more walkable downtown corridor that balances parking and pedestrian needs.
Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department (TPW) unveiled renderings and preliminary design plans for historic Sixth Street between I-35 and Congress Avenue on Monday. The update follows a revitalization effort that began in January 2025 with the street’s reopening to vehicular traffic on weekend nights.
New Design Highlights
TPW staff produced three options and ultimately chose Alternative 3, which runs from I-35 to Brazos. The design includes:
- One dedicated parking and curb-access lane
- Two westbound driving lanes (Sixth Street is one-way)
- Bollards on both sides of the street
- New trees
- 25-foot-wide sidewalks with 12-foot building-side space for benches, café tables, bike racks, and lines
- 10-foot walking space
- 3-foot clearance between bollards/trees and the road
Between Brazos and Congress Avenue the plan adds three vehicle lanes and an inset for vehicle access in front of the Driskill Hotel.
Funding and Next Steps
Richard Mendoza, TPW’s director, said the city budget covers only the design phase. “We’ll do that through a variety of ways. I anticipate we’ll be looking for federal grants, or we’ll include it in a potential next voter bond referendum where our voters will vote on bonds that will fund the construction,” Mendoza said.
In early 2026 the city will release the Sixth Street Preliminary Engineering Study to explain the final design decision. After staff receives feedback, the final design will take 6-9 months, followed by a search for construction funding.
The department noted that while many residents wanted bike lanes, the current design prioritizes foot traffic. Staff will explore opportunities to add or improve east-west bike lanes on other downtown streets to build a complete bicycle network.
Key Takeaways
- Alternative 3 is the chosen design, featuring a single parking lane and expanded sidewalks.
- Funding for construction will come from federal grants or a voter bond referendum.
- The next major milestone is the 2026 engineering study, leading to final design and funding search.
The city’s new plans aim to make Sixth Street safer and more pedestrian-friendly while keeping essential parking and vehicle access in balance.
