City of Austin makes progress on Wishbone Bridge at Longhorn Dam

Wishbone Bridge at Longhorn Dam progress

The City of Austin is making progress on the new Wishbone Bridge at the Longhorn Dam. It's expected to increase safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.

AUSTIN, Texas - The City of Austin is making progress on the new Wishbone Bridge at the Longhorn Dam. It's expected to increase safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.

The construction of the bridge has caused road closures and detours in East Austin for several months.

Construction is underway for the Wishbone Bridge that will connect the Ann and Roy Butler trail at Longhorn Shores, Canterbury and the Holly Peninsula in Town Lake Metropolitan Park.

"The idea of the Wishbone Bridge was actually presented by the public. We presented the public with several different options and also had an open comment section where we allowed people to provide other options and the wishbone was one of those options," says Capital Delivery Service Assistant Director Genest Landry.

The construction phase for the project, costing close to $25 million, started in July.

This bridge is going to be on average 26-feet in width, and then we are going to have a meeting place in the Center A Plaza that is going to be as wide as 65-feet.

The city of Austin’s Capital Delivery Services said on Wednesday caps were placed on top of columns to support the beams for the bridge.

While the city is progressing on building the east portion of the project, there are closures in place.

"We have lane closures on Pleasant Valley. However, in mid-December, we are going to be switching to the west side of the tunnel and be shifting that. We do also have trail detours currently, so we do still provide complete connectivity along the entire Ann and Roy Butler Trail," says Landry.

According to Capital Delivery Services, there is also a tunnel being built that will span 100 feet connecting Kreig Field on the east and the Ann and Roy Butler Trail on the west.

"This project basically started out of a need to increase connectivity and safety for people walking and biking in this area. We are serving both the trail users along the Ann and Roy Butler Trail as well as people that are commuting going north and south," says Landry.

The city says in fall 2025 the road detours will be removed permanently. The bridge is expected to be completed by summer 2026.