Austin removed three federally approved experimental crosswalks this week after the FHWA terminated a safety study. The FHWA said the colorful crosswalks posed "safety concerns." We obtained the city's report to Washington showing results were mixed. www.kut.org/transportati...

NEW: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport says it had 21,666,852 departing and arriving passengers last year, the third-highest total on record.

Smokable cannabis remains legal in Texas for now. Today, a spokesperson with the Department of State Health Services said they received hundreds of public comments on the proposed rule, and they’re still reviewing them. Background: www.kut.org/politics/202...

MAJOR I-35 RAMP CLOSURE: Starting Sunday, the northbound I-35 exit at Riverside Drive and the northbound Holly Street entrance ramp and exit will permanently close. Detour: Woodland exit. In early February, the northbound I-35 entrance ramp at Cesar Chavez will reopen.

A new flyover ramp opens Saturday connecting the northbound MoPac toll lane with the new toll lanes on northbound U.S 183. CTRMA says the southbound toll lanes on 183 North should open in late-February or early-March, weather permitting.

CapMetro confirms ALL its buses now have Tap-to-Pay. Feb. 1 is the date they’ll “officially launch” the new service and start promoting/marketing it. But you can pay with your phone or credit card now and get daily fare capping. www.kut.org/transportati...

Reminder you can get a live look at Austin road conditions using the city's traffic cam map. data.mobility.austin.gov/traffic-came...

Austin police say they received reports of 67 car crashes from noon yesterday to 9 a.m. this morning.

NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says. - First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29 - Access trips start at noon - All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista - No Bikeshare

At ABIA, one of two runways is closed (West runway 18R/36L) so they can focus snow removal on a single runway. They use trucks retrofitted with plows. ABIA deputy chief Sam Haynes confirms 115 departing flight cancelations and 87 arriving flight cancellations.

More than 200 cancelations today at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to FlightAware. www.flightaware.com/live/cancell...

Mayor Kirk Watson confirms the man found dead at a Shell station at I-35 and 38 1/2 Street died from exposure to the cold. www.kut.org/energy-envir...

NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says. - First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29 - Access trips start at noon - All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista - No Bikeshare

BREAKING: AISD is canceling school Monday, along with many other area school districts and colleges including UT-Austin.

Austin-area roads are being pre-treated with a chemical that melts ice ahead of the cold front expected to roll in tonight. You can watch a winter weather preparedness news conference happening now in this post by KUT's Andrew Weber: www.kut.org/energy-envir...

The Woodland Avenue vehicle crossing at I-35 in Austin is closed forever. One sidewalk remains open underneath I-35 at Woodland. But eventually pedestrians will also have to detour more than a mile to get to the other side of the highway. www.kut.org/transportati...

BREAKING: Austin’s light-rail plan gets environmental clearance from the Trump administration’s FTA. www.kut.org/transportati...

Texas is set to ban smokable cannabis as soon as Jan. 25. www.kut.org/politics/202...

BREAKING: Mayor Watson reveals ABIA will add "32 new gates" under new long-term lease agreements with major carriers. I asked an airport staffer, "Will these all be in the new Concourse B?" They said more details will come in a press release after this news conference.

For revamping Austin's Sixth Street, city staff are recommending.....Door Number Three. Door Number Three (aka Alternative 3) proposes the biggest sidewalks and nixes any bike/scooter lanes. speakupaustin.org/sixthstreet#...

CapMetro says tap-to-pay is coming in early 2026, according to a memo to the board. That's about a year late. CapMetro had originally said tap-to-pay would launch in March of this year. Getting secure payment processing set up took longer than expected.

Which parks decks over I-35 should the city commit to paying for? The price for all 14+ acres exceeds $300 million. TxDOT says they only need a ballpark estimate from staff by May. City staff say they can't give an estimate without a council vote. www.kut.org/transportati...

Southwest is opening a new crew base in Austin in March. City will pay $2,750 per hire up to $5.5 million over five years. That's what this unanimous council vote was about. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Do you live in the Travis Heights/St. Edwards/Oltorf area and have low water pressure? The city says it's been a problem for homes, hotels and even Travis High School. Now they're hiring someone to fix it. Companies have until Jan. 15 to bid on the $4.7 million project.

How will Austin configure those parks over I-35 near the Hancock Center? City staff are considering four options. They have to tell TxDOT which one by the end of the year. Here’s a look at those four options. youtu.be/zbrXJFdCdnM?...

The city of Austin has four ideas for the northern deck parks over I-35 near the Hancock Center. These could go in after TxDOT removes upper decks and lowers the mainlanes. You can give feedback at an open house tomorrow from 11-1 at the Austin Public Library's Carver Branch.

ABIA isn’t on the FAA list of 40 airports ordered to reduce flights by 10%, but the effects will be felt in Austin. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin is starting construction this month on long-promised improvements to the Shoal Creek Trail. The city is widening a section of sidewalk along North Lamar Boulevard that runs parallel to a serene nature path deep in a canyon below. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has so far dodged the worst of flight delays caused by the federal government shutdown. But veterans of air traffic warn the relative calm may not last, especially with a short-staffed control tower. www.kut.org/transportati...

The Trail Conservancy is installing new mile markers and half-mile markers around the Butler Trail. If all goes well, the last few should be in by tomorrow morning. Later they will install more signs for restrooms, the 10 mph speed limit, leash rules, trailhead welcome, etc.

Here are pictures of the 16 painted crosswalks and street murals Austin may have to remove under Gov. Abbott’s order. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin police say a “shelter in place” order around Austin Central Library is lifted after shooting inside the library. One person injured and in hospital. Suspect not in custody but police don’t think he’s in the area. Library still closed because an investigation is underway.

What will a $25 million boardwalk between South First Street and South Congress Avenue look like? An internal city document obtained by KUT News reveals new details. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin's biggest public transit shakeup in years is coming. But it won't happen overnight, and not everyone is on board. www.kut.org/transportati...

What happens to the 13 schools Austin ISD wants to close? AISD says they'll be sold, leased or repurposed. Tax records show the campuses are worth nearly $296 million and have over a million square feet of air conditioned space. Map in the story. www.kut.org/education/20...

Bastrop wants to build a pedestrian tunnel under Buc-ee's and they're turning to Elon Musk for help. I also learned in this story by @lmcgaughy.bsky.social that Dallas and Houston both have extensive underground pedestrian tunnel systems. www.kut.org/business/202...

Starting today, Texas is charging sales tax on the fees sellers pay to list items on places like eBay, Poshmark and Etsy. www.kut.org/texas/2025-1...

Behind those walls along I-35, TxDOT is building one of the largest tunnels Austin's ever seen. www.kut.org/transportati...

A train stopped on Union Pacific tracks at FM 1626 caused a traffic apocalypse in far South Austin this morning.

A new @evilmopacatx.bsky.social phone app is promising to make sense of MoPac's unpredictable toll lanes by showing drivers how much each minute of time saved will actually cost. Alan Farmer made the app, inspired by "the terrible that is MoPac in the toll lane." www.kut.org/transportati...

More than a dozen new nonstop flights coming to Austin's airport in the months ahead www.kut.org/transportati...

Delta today announced twice daily nonstop service from Austin to Miami is starting Nov. 22 on a Boeing 737-800. Delta also has these nonstops coming up: ✈️ Palm Springs on Nov. 8 ✈️ Denver on Nov. 9 ✈️ Cancun and Cabo on Dec. 20 ✈️ Columbus and Kansas City on Jun. 7, 2026

NEW: Governor Abbott's executive order on hemp would essentially ban the sale of THCA flower (shown below) and THCA concentrates. Abbott's order calls for testing THCA after it's heated and converted to Delta-9, the main ingredient in cannabis that gets people high.

Will TxDOT build a 21-foot-tall concrete noise barrier stretching half-a-mile along I-35 next to where the upper decks are now? Cherrywood residents have to cast their vote by today. www.kut.org/transportati...

In Texas, tweens can still legally buy THC gummies at a gas station, because state lawmakers couldn't agree on whether to ban or regulate cannabis known as "hemp." www.kut.org/politics/202...

Selling THC vapes in Texas will be illegal starting Monday. www.kut.org/politics/202...

BREAKING: Austin's airport expansion will get even bigger under a deal approved just now by the City Council. The contract with seven major airlines unlocks billions in funding and will lead to more than 20 gates being constructed by the early 2030s. www.kut.org/transportati...

EXCLUSIVE: The Federal Aviation Administration is denying a request to upgrade Austin's airspace to the same level surrounding the nation's busiest airports. www.kut.org/transportati...

NEW: As of 6:30 this morning, the Texas Education Agency released A-F scores for more than 9,000 campuses and 1,200 school districts statewide. www.kut.org/education/20...

The city of Austin will install concrete barricades along sidewalks on both sides East Sixth Street from San Jacinto Blvd. to Red River St. The Downtown Austin Alliance has plans to try and make the barricades look nicer. News conference planned for when construction starts on Mon., August 11.