AUSTIN, Texas — Boaters on Lady Bird Lake are navigating a narrowed passage beneath Interstate 35 as construction on the state’s I-35 expansion project continues ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, according to the Texas Department of Transportation and local rowing officials.
The construction zone beneath the I-35 bridge has reduced the waterway to a passage about 75 feet wide to separate kayakers, paddleboarders, rowers and small boats from barges, cranes and other equipment tied to the I-35 Capital Express Central Project.
The project will widen the bridge over Lady Bird Lake from 13 lanes to 18 lanes and add a separate pedestrian bridge east of the interstate.
The Austin Rowing Club said the route under the bridge can be difficult to identify from water level and raised concerns that the narrowed passage may not safely accommodate two-way traffic during busy periods on the lake.
“It’s a little harder to see from water level where the actual passageway is under the bridge,” said Carol Baxter, managing director of the Austin Rowing Club. “It says ‘Keep Out,’ but does it mean could you go through this buoy or that buoy?”
Baxter said the club requested additional lighting, signage and buoy lines to guide lake users through the designated passage.
The Texas Department of Transportation said the current setup remains safe and does not require changes at this time.
TxDOT said the restricted passage has been in place since January and will likely remain until the bridge reconstruction is completed, which could extend through 2033. Officials added that the location of the passage may shift as construction progresses.
Lady Bird Lake draws large crowds during the summer, with Austin police estimating that more than 1,000 paddleboarders can be on the water during busy weekend afternoons.
The Austin Rowing Club, which operates from the Waller Creek Boathouse, said the construction has already affected its activities. Baxter said a construction barge damaged part of the club’s race course before the Heart of Texas Regatta in February, forcing organizers to repair the course before the event.
The club is also reconsidering its fall regatta because the usual route passes beneath I-35.
Retro Boats, a company that rents electric-powered vintage boats on the lake, said the construction has forced it to modify its routes.
“We’re going to try to open it up down a little bit further west,” said Helana Sharar, the company’s general manager. “But we need to keep it safe still, because we don’t want people getting too close to Zilker with all the kayakers and the paddle boarders hanging out down there.”
Austin Police Department Lake Patrol Lt. Elijah Myrick said officers have not encountered major problems in the construction zone but warned that the narrowed passage could become more challenging as lake traffic increases during the summer.
“Boats aren’t like vehicles. You don’t hit the brakes and it stops,” Myrick said. “So you just need to be extra careful anywhere where you’re around this construction that’s going on under I-35.”
Myrick advised inexperienced boaters to avoid the area beneath the bridge.
“I think this is probably not a great place for an amateur to deploy a paddleboard,” he said. “You have heavy machinery.”
TxDOT officials said the 75-foot opening represented the widest practical option without interfering with construction operations.
“You get too much bigger and then it starts to conflict with where the barge may be or where the new drill shaft may go,” said Willie Semora, director of construction in TxDOT’s Austin District.
Semora said the work zone includes lighted buoys and beacons on construction barges. He added that temporary full closures of the passage may occur during certain construction activities, including bridge beam installations.
Baxter said the rowing club can adjust to the changing conditions as long as it receives advance notice from construction officials.
“As much notice as we can get, we can figure it out,” she said.