Austin continues plans to reopen Sixth Street to vehicles on weekends
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The city of Austin is closing several parking spots along Sixth Street as it advances its pilot project to reopen the roadway to traffic on the weekends, Austin's Assistant City Manager Eddie Garcia confirmed to KXAN.
An initial phase for reopening Sixth Street began Thursday, Dec. 5, and only included reintroducing vehicular traffic on the roadway on Thursday and Sunday nights. Sixth Street remained closed between Red River and Brazos Streets on Fridays and Saturdays during this initial testing period.
Following the vehicle attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day, APD confirmed Jan. 2 the trial phase running on Thursdays and Sundays had taken effect "without any incident," adding it allowed police to look at possible coverage gaps that needed to be addressed.
Due to impending inclement weather and "operational purposes," APD said the department temporarily paused the phase but continues to enhance safety measures along the corridor in the interim.
Those safety elements include expanding sidewalks and installing street barrier equipment along Sixth Street, with that work continuing into next week. Between Red River and Brazos streets, parking will no longer be offered "in order to create more space for pedestrians to walk safely."
"Our community, including the businesses and property owners along Sixth Street, have long envisioned a transformed Sixth Street District that is walkable, vibrant, and safe," Garcia said in the email. "Removing pedestrians from the roadway and providing wide, accessible sidewalks is a strategic approach in achieving this goal."
Police Chief Lisa Davis told KXAN Wednesday that reopening the roadway to vehicular traffic is "the responsible thing to do," given safety concerns that arise with pedestrians consolidating on the roadway.
"When you look at New Orleans and what happened there, the tragedy there, all that shows is the danger of leaving a street open to allow for pedestrians to totally overtake a street," she said. "If you don't have the infrastructure in place to stop those, like those balusters that come out of the ground, or completely close it off, the chances of a vehicle intrusion are very high."
Officials said they anticipate to have more details on the pilot program available next week.