The east-side I-35 crossing on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail has been closed since February. The Trail Conservancy's detour page estimated that closure at about a year. TxDOT's own project page for the Lady Bird Lake segment gives a much longer date. It says the existing east pedestrian path at the lake, along with the north sidewalk on Riverside Drive, "will be closed through 2029." That means the way you get around the east end of the lake this fall is probably how you'll do it for several more years. The two newest pieces of the trail, the Wishbone Bridge near Longhorn Dam and Waterloo Greenway's Confluence at the mouth of Waller Creek, now handle most of what the old crossing used to do.
What's closed at I-35, and for how long
The construction at I-35 is part of TxDOT's Capital Express Central project. The Trail Conservancy's detour page lists its trail impacts as running into 2033. Here is what's in effect for a trail user heading out in late October:
| Closure or detour | Where | Stated end date |
|---|---|---|
| East-side I-35 pedestrian crossing | Between the north and south shores, east of I-35 | About one year from February 2026 per the Trail Conservancy; through 2029 per TxDOT |
| Riverside Drive pedestrian ramp to the boardwalk | Northbound I-35 frontage road at Riverside Drive | Through 2029 |
| South-shore boardwalk, limited access | Boardwalk east of I-35 | Early 2027 |
| North-shore trail detour | South side of East Avenue | 2033, with the project |
| Waller Beach reroute | North shore near The Confluence and Austin Rowing Club | March 2027 |
The south-shore boardwalk was fully closed October 12 through 18 while crews worked on the new pedestrian bridge. Now that it has reopened, part of the boardwalk will have limited access through early 2027, but trail users can still pass under the I-35 bridge. The staircase down to the boardwalk at Riverside is open apart from occasional construction closures. You can also reach the boardwalk from South Lakeshore Boulevard east of I-35 or from the trail entrance west of I-35.
On the north shore, the detour along East Avenue is 14 feet wide. It's surfaced with decomposed granite in some sections and permanent concrete where the existing infrastructure allows it, such as under the north side of the I-35 bridge. It's planned to stay in place for the rest of the project.
When construction is done, the replacement crossing will be a pedestrian bridge kept separate from the roadway. TxDOT's rendering shows seating and shade, and the agency also plans a pedestrian-only bridge at Woodland Avenue. TxDOT hasn't published an opening date for either one.
The crossing the Trail Conservancy points you to instead
During the closure, the Trail Conservancy recommends two places to cross the lake: South Congress, or "the new Wishbone Pedestrian Bridge at Pleasant Valley." South Congress keeps your loop shorter. Wishbone makes it longer, but you stay on trail the whole way.
The bridge opened with a ribbon cutting at 100 S. Pleasant Valley Rd. on February 7, 2026. According to the City of Austin's project page, it connects the Butler Trail at Longhorn Shores, Canterbury and the Holly Peninsula. It also gives you a car-free alternative to the Pleasant Valley Road sidewalk. The city's project story map calls it the "New Longhorn Dam Bridge" and lists it at 0.43 miles long and about 30 feet wide on average, with landings at Longhorn Shores, Holly Shores and the peninsula.
KUT reported that the $25 million bridge closed the biggest gap in the Butler Trail. It also noted that people can now travel this edge of the lake without being routed beside fast-moving traffic for the first time since Longhorn Shores was developed in the mid-1970s. The station also reported where the three-branch design came from. It wasn't one of the original options. Thirteen community members proposed it at a 2018 public meeting, and it won out over the alternatives. The city owns the bridge, and the Trail Conservancy maintains it.
The bridge opened in the same month the east-side I-35 crossing closed. So if you used to loop across I-35, Wishbone is the closest crossing that keeps you off the street for the whole route.
The Confluence is the new north-shore anchor
The north shore changed four months after Wishbone opened. Waterloo Greenway Phase II, The Confluence, opened June 6, 2026. It covers about 13 acres along Waller Creek between 4th Street and Lady Bird Lake. Its named spaces include three lattice bridges, an 800-foot creek boardwalk, the Lagoon Overlook, the Leaf Deck, Lakeview Terrace, the Explorers Garden, the Cypress Grove and the Trailhead Plaza.
For trail users, the most useful thing about The Confluence is how it connects. Waterloo Greenway's visitor page describes a continuous off-street path that links the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, Palm Park, Rainey Street and the Butler Trail. You can enter from the trail at Trinity Street or from a south entrance near the Mexican American Cultural Center. If you come from Downtown or East Austin, you can now get to the lake off-street from 4th Street instead of from the street grid.
One construction caveat applies here too. From June 2026 through March 2027, the Butler Trail is rerouted on the north shore near The Confluence and the Austin Rowing Club building while Austin Energy installs underground electrical lines along the shoreline between Brazos and Trinity streets. The Trail Conservancy asks trail users to slow down there and follow directions from staff on site.
The fall calendar is already built around the two new pieces
Most of the east-end programming this season meets at Wishbone, at Holly Shores just off the bridge, or at Grandpa's Lakeview Terrace inside The Confluence. Here's what's still ahead as of this week:
- Birding & Breakfast, Friday, October 30. Travis Audubon and the Austin American-Statesman lead a bird walk at the Wishbone Bridge. RSVP is free, and there's coffee from Desnudo and a biscuit bar from Bird Bird Biscuit. The RSVP page lists 8 to 10 a.m., while the Trail Conservancy's calendar lists a 7:30 a.m. start, so check the time before you go.
- Monarch butterfly tagging, October 30, November 5 and November 6. These Waterloo Greenway volunteer sessions meet at Grandpa's Lakeview Terrace, 71 1/2 Trinity St., and registration is through the conservancy.
- BioBlitz at Holly Shores, November 7 and December 5, both at 9 a.m. These are Trail Conservancy volunteer sessions at Holly Shores, one of the Wishbone Bridge's three landings.
- Creek Show 2026, November 13 through 21, 6 to 10 p.m. nightly. This year's show moves to the new southern stretch of Waterloo Greenway, from 4th Street to Lady Bird Lake. It features ten light-based installations by local artists, and the main entrance is at 4th and Sabine streets. Tickets are required, and proceeds go to Waterloo Greenway Conservancy. Community Night on Monday, November 16 is free with a reservation.
- Shoreline Stewardship, November 21 at 10 a.m. This Trail Conservancy volunteer morning focuses on native seeding and planting along the shore.
Creek Show's move matters most for the season. It's Waterloo Greenway's signature event, and this year it's spread across nine nights on the stretch of creek that opened in June. The Creek Show page calls it "a bold new chapter" for the event.
Building a loop that works right now
Put the closures and the new pieces together and the east end gives you a few practical routes:
- The short loop. Cross at South Congress and stay west of I-35. You'll skip both the construction zone and the Waller Beach reroute.
- The full east loop. Take the East Avenue detour on the north shore, continue east, cross at the Wishbone Bridge, and come back along the south shore. Expect limited access on part of the south-shore boardwalk through early 2027.
- The Confluence approach. Start at 4th and Sabine or at the Trinity Street trail entrance, follow Waller Creek down to the lake, and join the Butler Trail there. Watch for the Austin Energy reroute between Brazos and Trinity.
Detours on this stretch can change on short notice. On October 19, for example, a two-day detour on the south shore between the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge and the MoPac Colorado River Railroad Bridge sent trail users onto the W. Riverside Drive sidewalk. TxDOT limits continuous full closures of trails and waterways near the new bridge to three a year, each lasting no more than a week. Signs go up ahead of time, and the Trail Conservancy's detour page has the current list.
At Empyral Group, we follow how projects like this change daily routines across Central Texas, from a construction calendar on I-35 to a new bridge at Pleasant Valley. If you're considering a move closer to the trail, or you'd like to know how the I-35 work affects the part of Austin you're looking at, Empyral Group can walk you through it. Let's Make Your Next Move. Talk to Our Local Team.
