Modifications to City operations due to COVID-19

The City of Austin is modifying its operations and some public services will be suspended until Monday, March 30, 2020. This is being done to maintain the health and safety of City employees and the community at large while providing critical City services.

There will be no changes to essential city services including public safety, trash, recycling, and compost pick up, Austin Water service, Austin Energy service, and transportation services.

Beginning today, Monday, March 16, 2020:

• All library branches will be closed
• All non-essential Municipal Court dockets will be rescheduled
• Austin Animal Center will be closed to the public
• All pools, golf courses, athletic programs, recreation centers, and cultural centers will be closed*

*Camps and spring break activities will happen Monday through Wednesday and be suspended following the completion of activities Wednesday. Additionally meal services for kids and seniors will continue

“We believe these changes in City services are measured steps to help prevent the spread of this virus in our community,” said City Manager Spencer Cronk. “We asked our department directors to look at their operations and decide how to transition as many of those functions to facilitate social distancing. We understand that we have to strike a balance, and many critical City functions will continue at their normal work locations.”

Tips for practicing good hygiene 

While you plan your trip to get around town, be sure to keep in mind good hygiene practices, especially when using public transportation, shared vehicle services, and shared dockless mobility. This is also a good time to telework to lessen contact with others and mitigate any spread of the disease. To help prevent disease, Austin Public Health recommends the following:

• Cover coughs & sneezes with a bent elbow or tissue
• Wash hands often with soap & water for 20 seconds
• Do not touch your face with unwashed hands
• Stay home when sick & avoid contact with people who are sick

To learn more about preventing disease, visit AustinTexas.gov/Health.

Austin Transportation finishes painting downtown dedicated transit lanes

This project has not changed the way the lanes are used. Buses are still given priority in the transit lanes, but other vehicles may use them when turning right at intersections. Austin Public Works captured this partnership in a project video.

New pedestrian barriers along I-35

Everyone we lose in a crash is a tragic loss of a loved one for families, friends and the entire community. The loss of anyone on Austin roadways is unacceptable and preventable. In 2019, 14 pedestrian deaths have occurred along I-35 because of attempts to cross the highway. Austin Transportation has partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to improve safety along one of our community's most dangerous roadways.

TxDOT will be installing a new pedestrian barrier along a 3.3 mile stretch of I-35 from 51st Street to Rundberg Lane to deter pedestrians from trying to cross the high-speed highway and encourage the use of safe pedestrian crossings with crosswalks at intersections. The new barriers are two-foot-high panels that will be placed on top of the existing center-line barriers.

The panels are easily removable by emergency personnel in the event of a crash and will also help reduce headlight glare from oncoming traffic. They will be paid for by TxDOT's Road to Zero initiative to help reach a goal of zero deaths on Texas highways by 2050. 

Safety is Austin Transportation's number one priority. To learn more about the department's safety efforts, visit our Vision Zero initiative page.