Slaughter Lane At MoPac Reduced To Two Lanes

AUSTIN, TX — Motorists planning to drive on MoPac Expressway (Loop 1) and Slaughter Lane, be advised: The latter roadway will be reduced to two lanes Sunday evening into Monday morning as construction crews begin assembly of an overpass.

And the overnight closures are just the beginning: State transportation officials say drivers will have to use a temporary roadways for the next six months as work is undertaken. In a press advisory, Texas Department of Transportation officials said the existing Slaughter Lane roadway at MoPac will be closed and traffic will be shifted to a new temporary roadway just south of the intersection.

Lane closures starting at 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, will be in place until 5 am. on Monday, June 11 at MoPac and Slaughter Lane. The reason for the blockage is that crews are readying to build the new overpass for the Diverging Diamond Intersection (DDI) at Loop 1 (MoPac) and Slaughter Lane,officials said.

Police officers will be on site to help direct traffic, and road signs have been placed alerting drivers of the closure. Motorists should allow extra time to travel through this area during the closure,, transportation officials noted. The temporary traffic shift is expected to be in place for approximately six months, officials added.

Additionally, the right-turn lane on both southbound and northbound MoPac will be closed, and the middle through-lane will be converted to a shared through- and right-turn lane, according to the advisory. This configuration will be in place throughout the duration of the overpass construction – approximately six months.

Travel times through the intersection will likely increase, officials said, and motorists should plan accordingly.

For preemptively frustrated motorists, a glimmer of hope from TxDot: "Crews are committed to getting the work done as quickly and safely as possible," officials wrote in the advisory. "We have put incentives in place to encourage the contractor to finish the work early. Conversely, the contractor faces penalties if the work is not completed on time."

So there's that.

Once the new overpass is built, additional traffic shifts will take place to allow crews to construct and stripe the DDI. Road conditions and traffic updates are available on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TxDOTAustin and at DriveTexas at www.DriveTexas.org.

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