On Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, TxDOT opened new Loop 360 mainlanes that run under Westlake Drive and Cedar Street. One lane goes each way, and neither has a traffic signal. The project started in June 2022. It cost $72.1 million, paid for by TxDOT and the City of Austin's 2016 Mobility Bond, and it was built to do one thing: keep through traffic from stopping at those two intersections.
That part now works, and the corridor's stops have shifted to its two ends. To the south, the Bee Caves Road intersection keeps its signal and has no funded construction date. To the north, past the Pennybacker Bridge, a new work zone at Courtyard Drive and RM 2222 is scheduled to run into 2029. For the next several years, the smoothest part of a West Lake Hills drive on Loop 360 will be the middle.
How the New Lanes Work
TxDOT and KXAN's preview of the opening describe the same setup. It takes about one trip to learn, and it punishes a late lane change.
- Going through: Stay in the left lane. That lane is the new mainlane, and it passes under both Westlake Drive and Cedar Street with no signal.
- Getting off at Westlake Drive or Cedar Street: Exit right onto the connector road, which still reaches both streets.
- Turning around: The Westlake Drive bridge has U-turns with no signals that lead back onto northbound and southbound Loop 360.
- The U-turn south of Bold Ruler Way: It's still open for southbound drivers, according to the TxDOT release KXAN reported.
The old intersections are now split in two. Through traffic runs in the trench, and local trips stay up top on the connector roads and bridges. Each cross street also got its own bridge, which is how TxDOT took the signals off the mainlanes.
What Is Still Under Construction
The project page says the mainlanes are open, but the job isn't done. TxDOT breaks the work into five phases, and the last one hasn't started yet: final paving and striping, then the switch to permanent traffic patterns. That means the one-lane-each-way setup drivers have used since late August is temporary. TxDOT hasn't published the final lane count, so it's too early to say what the finished road will look like from behind the wheel.
These are the parts of the schedule that affect a normal week:
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Mainlane work, Bold Ruler Way to Pennybacker Bridge | Ongoing through late 2026 |
| Excavation | Weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Hauling | Overnight |
| Single-lane closures on the connector road, Pennybacker Bridge to Shell Refuel Gas, alternating directions | Sunday, Oct. 11, through Thursday, Oct. 15, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Project completion | Late 2026, weather permitting |
The completion date is already later than first planned. TxDOT's June 2025 information sheet said "mid-2026," and the current project page says late 2026. The contractor is Copasa Group. Because hauling happens at night, homes close to the corridor may still hear construction after the daytime crews leave.
Where Loop 360 Still Stops
TxDOT lists five Loop 360 projects. Westlake Drive and Cedar Street is the only one close to finished. The other four are where drivers will still hit slowdowns.
| Project | Status as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Westlake Drive / Cedar Street | Mainlanes open Aug. 30; final paving and striping still ahead; late 2026 |
| Courtyard Drive / RM 2222 | Under construction since April 2026; expected late 2029 |
| Lakewood Drive / Spicewood Springs Road | Environmental clearance in summer 2023; utility relocation comes first; construction depends on funding and could start as early as 2029 |
| RM 2244 / Bee Caves Road | Diverging diamond interchange under evaluation; moves forward when more funding is available |
| MoPac to RM 2244 | Proposed Walsh Tarlton overpass and an overpass or underpass at Lost Creek Boulevard/Westbank Drive; depends on funding |
For West Lake Hills, the two projects that matter most are the ones on either side of the new underpasses.
The Bee Caves Road Light Stays
TxDOT's page for RM 2244, the state highway designation for Bee Caves Road, is short. It says the team will evaluate a possible diverging diamond interchange and adds one line under schedule: "The project will move forward when additional funding becomes available." It gives no construction start and no target year. Until that changes, the Loop 360 and Bee Caves Road intersection works the way it always has.
Some of this fall's most-discussed new businesses sit at that end of the corridor. Community Impact reported that Postino, a wine cafe, opened Sept. 13 at Village at Westlake, 701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Ste. J760. Its address is on Loop 360 itself. That makes it one of the clearest examples of how the corridor has changed. Someone coming from the Westlake Drive side can now pass the old signals without stopping, then still wait at Bee Caves Road on the way to dinner.
Bee Caves Road had other changes this fall too. Community Impact's October business roundup notes that the Whataburger at 3201 Bee Caves Road, Ste. 180, closed in September. It had been the chain's first fully digital location. The same roundup reports that Guidepost Montessori at 4613-B Bee Cave Road became Illuminate Montessori in September.
North of the Pennybacker, a Work Zone Through 2029
Northbound drivers who get through the new underpasses without stopping cross the Pennybacker Bridge into the corridor's newest construction zone. Community Impact covered the groundbreaking for Courtyard Drive and RM 2222 on April 29, 2026. That project costs $68.4 million and is also paid for by TxDOT and the 2016 Mobility Bond.
It's a familiar design applied to a harder intersection. Courtyard Drive gets an underpass like the ones at Westlake Drive and Cedar Street. RM 2222 gets a diverging diamond interchange, and shared-use paths are part of the plan. TxDOT expects to finish in late 2029. One change already affects some regular trips. The entrance ramp from eastbound RM 2222 to southbound Loop 360 is closing. Drivers headed south instead turn right at the RM 2222 signal, and the northbound Loop 360 exit lanes are being reconfigured.
So anyone who drives the full corridor faces two very different timelines. Westlake Drive and Cedar Street should wrap up within months. Courtyard and RM 2222 are about six months into a project expected to last more than three years. Lakewood Drive and Spicewood Springs Road, farther north, could start construction as early as 2029, if funding comes through.
Dates on the West Lake Hills Calendar
- Through Oct. 15: Overnight single-lane closures, alternating directions, on the Loop 360 connector road between the Pennybacker Bridge and Shell Refuel Gas, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Oct. 19, 5:30 p.m.: Austin Water hosts an update and neighbor meeting on the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant at West Lake Hills City Hall, covering ongoing projects and noise-reduction plans.
- Late 2026: TxDOT's target for final paving, striping, and permanent traffic patterns at Westlake Drive and Cedar Street, weather permitting.
- Spring 2027: The new opening target for the Mackenzie Club in West Lake Hills, a three-story, 33,000-square-foot golf and social club with simulator suites, a restaurant and bar, and workspaces. Community Impact reports the target moved from late 2026.
- Late 2029: TxDOT's expected finish for Courtyard Drive and RM 2222.
At Legends Real Estate, we follow changes like these on Loop 360 because they shape everyday life in West Lake Hills, from how long a weeknight dinner takes to which errands are easy to fit in. If you'd like to talk through how the corridor's timeline fits your own plans, we're glad to help. Work With Us.
