The work on Northwest Hills' western edge belongs to three different agencies. The City of Austin is widening Spicewood Springs Road. Travis County owns the plan to replace the low-water crossing at Bull Creek. TxDOT is rebuilding Loop 360, one intersection at a time. Each agency runs its own schedule. The earliest finish date on the list is now summer 2027. The latest project on the list has no construction funding yet.
From a car window it looks like one long project that should wrap up soon. Each agency's own status pages show four projects that overlap, with the soonest one recently pushed back and the furthest one possibly starting about when another is due to finish.
| Project | Agency | Where it stands, early fall 2026 | Expected finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spicewood Springs Road Regional Mobility Project | City of Austin | Paths scheduled from September; rain gardens and paving planned for fall | Summer 2027, moved from late 2026 |
| Spicewood Springs Low Water Crossing #1 bridge | Travis County | Design, acquiring right-of-way | No construction date published |
| Loop 360 at Courtyard Drive/RM 2222 | TxDOT | Under construction since April 2026 | Late 2029 |
| Loop 360 at Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road | TxDOT | Environmentally cleared, not yet funded | Construction could begin as early as 2029 |
The Project Closest to Done Just Got Pushed Back
The city's Spicewood Springs Road Regional Mobility Project is a $31 million rebuild that widens the road from two lanes to four, with left-turn bays. It also adds two water detention ponds and shared-use paths for walkers and cyclists, and replaces storm drain, water transmission and wastewater lines under the road.
Until this summer, the project was due to wrap up in late 2026. An Aug. 11 city update, reported by Community Impact on Sept. 15, said weather delays during the spring and summer had moved substantial completion to summer 2027. According to the same update, work on the shared-use paths on both sides of the road was set to begin in September, and crews were to keep building rain gardens and paving travel lanes this fall.
The city's project page lists work hours as 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. It asks drivers to obey work-zone speed limits and allow extra time. Weekend hours run longer than weekday hours, so Saturday errands along this stretch may pass more active crews than a weekday afternoon commute.
The summer 2027 date applies only to the widening. It does not include the bridge at Bull Creek, which is a separate project with a separate agency and budget.
The Bridge That Was Supposed to Start Last Year
Travis County plans to replace Spicewood Springs Low Water Crossing #1 with a new bridge just south of the current crossing, with one lane in each direction. The old crossing would then be removed. In April 2025, Community Impact reported that construction was planned to start in the third quarter of 2025. That report also said a delay was possible because right-of-way acquisition and permitting were not finished. It estimated about a year of bridge work, with traffic staying on the existing crossing during construction.
The 2025 start did not happen. The county's capital projects summary, dated Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, still lists the bridge this way:
Replace low water crossing with new bridge at the location of low water crossing #1. Currently acquiring right-of-way.
The status column says "Design." The county has not published a construction start date, closure schedule or detour route. The one-year construction estimate and the plan to keep traffic on the old crossing both come from the 2025 forecast. Those details may change once the county sets a real schedule.
Taken together, the city's widening is now due to finish in summer 2027, and the county's bridge has no start date. That leaves open the possibility of a separate round of construction at Bull Creek after the widening crews leave.
At RM 2222, the Turn Has Already Changed
TxDOT started construction at Loop 360 and Courtyard Drive in April 2026 and expects to finish in late 2029. The project removes the traffic signal from the Loop 360 mainlanes at Courtyard and builds an underpass there. It also turns the RM 2222 intersection into a diverging diamond interchange, with new shared-use paths and sidewalks.
At RM 2222, TxDOT's project page lists two traffic changes:
- The entrance ramp from eastbound RM 2222 to southbound Loop 360 is closed. Drivers now turn right at the RM 2222 signal to reach southbound 360.
- The northbound Loop 360 exit ramp to RM 2222 now has three lane assignments: left turn only, left turn or straight, and right turn only.
The map TxDOT posted for the ramp closure is dated Aug. 31, 2026. The two sources disagree about overnight closures. Community Impact's Aug. 31 roundup said "Various nightly entrance ramp and lane closures are ongoing" but gave no dates or hours. TxDOT's live project page, which has no date, currently says there are no lane closures. The ramp change is permanent for the length of the project. Overnight closures may come and go, so it is worth checking the TxDOT page before a late-night drive.
TxDOT lists work hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays when needed. The agency warns that neighbors may notice more noise, vibration and dust during excavation and night work. Our West Lake Hills post covers how the Loop 360 program looks from the south end of the corridor.
The Spicewood Springs Interchange Is Still Waiting on Funding
The fourth project sits where Spicewood Springs Road meets Loop 360. TxDOT's Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road project was environmentally cleared in summer 2023. Construction depends on funding and could begin "as early as 2029." TxDOT says utilities will be relocated before construction starts, and that may require occasional lane closures.
On current schedules, TxDOT's work could move from the Courtyard interchange to the Spicewood Springs interchange around the time the Courtyard project ends in late 2029. If that happens, the RM 2222 end of this stretch would finish about when the Spicewood Springs end starts. And Spicewood Springs Road may be fully widened by summer 2027, while the interchange at its western end has not yet been rebuilt.
What's on the Calendar Before Any of It Finishes
None of these projects ends this year, but several local dates fall in the next few weeks.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 to 11 a.m. The Northwest Austin Civic Association holds its monthly park cleanup at Bull Creek District Park or Allen Park. The calendar says to check notices for the site. The city's parks closure page, where Austin Parks and Recreation posts closures, currently lists none for Bull Creek District Park or the Bull Creek Greenbelt.
- Monday, Oct. 19, 6 to 7 p.m. NWACA lists an art event at Stillhouse Hollow Nature Preserve, 7810 Sterling Dr.
- Saturday, Nov. 7. Tumble 22 is scheduled to open at 9761 Great Hills Trail, Ste. B, according to Community Impact's Sept. 30 report. The opening date is announced but not yet confirmed.
- Summer 2027. Substantial completion of the Spicewood Springs Road widening, based on the city's Aug. 11 update.
- Late 2029. Expected completion of the Courtyard Drive and RM 2222 work on Loop 360.
- As early as 2029. Possible start of construction at Loop 360 and Spicewood Springs Road, depending on funding.
The Bull Creek bridge does not appear on this list because the county has not published a construction date. As of Sept. 28, 2026, the county was still acquiring right-of-way. That is the date on this list most likely to change next. More neighborhood background is on our Northwest Hills page.
If you're timing a sale, a move or a renovation around these projects, Lesley Taylor tracks the city, county and TxDOT schedules along the Spicewood Springs and Loop 360 corridor. Let's Connect, and we can go over what each of those dates means for your street.
