The Wishbone Bridge opened on Saturday, February 7, 2026. It closed the biggest gap left in the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. Two days later, in the week of February 9, TxDOT closed the east-side pedestrian crossing at I-35. Since then nobody has been able to cross between the north and south shores on that side of the highway.
So the new bridge opened just in time to become the main workaround. It was built to finish the east end of the loop. For the next few years it is also the cleanest way around the trail's busiest construction zone, and the best fall route on Lady Bird Lake starts from that fact.
A bridge that fixed a fifty-year-old problem
Before February, getting around the east end meant leaving the trail for the Pleasant Valley Road bridge and walking next to fast traffic. KUT reported that the new bridge lets people move along that edge of the lake without being routed beside cars and trucks for the first time since Longhorn Shores was developed in the mid-1970s. The project cost $25 million. Most of it came from the 2020 bond election, and when costs ran over, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar secured more than $4 million in federal funding. Construction started in July 2024.
The three-pronged shape works as a hub. The City of Austin describes it as a continuous, off-road link at the lake's eastern end and a traffic-free connection along the full loop. The same city page says the bridge connects Longhorn Shores, Canterbury and Holly Peninsula. The city's grand-opening notice lists the trail address as 115 S. Pleasant Valley Road.
Underneath, according to KUT, the Unity Underpass replaced a six-foot passage that was dim and flood-prone. The new one is 30 feet wide, with lighting and drainage. KUT reports that its walls carry "Absolute Equality: Unity Tunnel," a mosaic by Reginald Adams, who held handprint-tile workshops, and tiles made by more than 200 community members went into the work.
The loop is officially 10 miles now. The Trail Conservancy remeasured the whole trail in fall 2025, including the Lakefront Trail at Holly Shores and the Wishbone Bridge, so the old 10.1-mile figure is out of date.
Why the I-35 crossing won't help you this year
The Trail Conservancy's detour page has said the closure of the east-side I-35 crossing would last "approximately one year," and gives a heading of "through 2027." TxDOT's own Lady Bird Lake segment page has a later date. It says the existing east pedestrian path at Lady Bird Lake and the northern sidewalk on Riverside Drive are closed through 2029. TxDOT is building the bridge, so plan on 2029.
You can still cross the lake at I-35, but only on the west side. TxDOT's map sends pedestrians along a Riverside Drive detour to the west sidewalk on the bridge. You cross Riverside at temporary signals at Manlove Street and Edgecliff Terrace. The Trail Conservancy suggests skipping that and crossing at South Congress or at the Wishbone Bridge instead.
The south-shore Boardwalk near the highway is the next thing to watch. Here is what is in place as of late October:
| Location | What's changed | Expected through |
|---|---|---|
| East-side I-35 pedestrian crossing | Closed; west sidewalk open | 2029 per TxDOT |
| Boardwalk ramp at northbound I-35 frontage road and Riverside Drive | Closed since February 16, 2026; stairs and Boardwalk open | 2029 |
| South-shore Boardwalk east of I-35 | Partial access limits during pedestrian bridge construction; passage under I-35 stays open | Early 2027 |
| North-shore path along East Avenue | Detour along the south side of East Avenue | 2033 |
| Waller Beach, in front of the Austin Rowing Club boathouse | Reroute shifted slightly north | Summer 2027 |
The Boardwalk was fully closed at I-35 from October 12 through 18 for work on the pedestrian bridge. More full closures are likely. TxDOT limits continuous closures of trails and waterway near the Lady Bird Lake bridge to three a year, each lasting no more than a week, plus intermittent and nightly closures as needed. Check the Trail Conservancy's detour page before an early run on the east end.
The north-shore detour along East Avenue is the long-term one, expected to stay until the I-35 project wraps up in 2033. It is a 14-foot-wide path, mostly decomposed granite, with permanent concrete under the north side of the I-35 bridge. It was routed to save existing trees where possible, and it avoids crossing traffic. Because it is designed for the full eight years, the north shore at I-35 is now the steady part of that interchange. The disruption is on the south side and on the crossing between the shores.
The other bottleneck is downtown, at Waller Beach
West of I-35, Austin Energy is running the Waller Beach Duct Bank Upgrade. It moves circuits from the Rainey Street substation underground, beneath parkland between Brazos and Trinity streets. In July, KUT reported a slight diversion north toward Cesar Chavez Street near the Austin Rowing Club. Walkers, runners and cyclists all take the same route around the work.
According to Austin Energy's October 2026 project update, about 785 feet of tunneling is finished. Crews are now removing the tunnel boring machine with a crane on the Trinity Street side and clearing heavy equipment from the Brazos Street side. Weekend work, when needed, is limited to 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Water line work comes next. A temporary pedestrian walkway on Trinity Street has been pushed back until the crane work is done. The same update says the detour in front of the boathouse stays until summer 2027. It also mentions a new mirror and extra signage added because bikes and pedestrians share a tight corner there. Some older notices still say March 2027. Austin Energy's update is the most recent, and Community Impact's October 20 roundup also gives summer 2027.
Put it together and the downtown stretch and the I-35 stretch are both under construction, a few blocks apart, through at least spring. If you start near Congress and head east, you hit the Waller Beach reroute first and the I-35 changes right after.
A loop that works around the work
The Wishbone Bridge sets the shape of a full loop this fall. Crossing I-35 on the north shore means the East Avenue detour, which is built to stay until 2033. Crossing to the south shore at Pleasant Valley takes you over the Wishbone Bridge and through the Unity Underpass. Going west on the south shore, the Boardwalk keeps its passage under I-35 open even with partial access limits during bridge construction. The I-35 stretch then works like any other section of trail. You only have to cross it at the right place.
For a short loop on a weekday, crossing at South Congress keeps you clear of both the I-35 closures and the east end, though a run from downtown still goes through the Waller Beach reroute on the north shore. One more change is behind us: the two-day detour between the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge and the MoPac railroad bridge, which put trail users on the West Riverside Drive sidewalk starting October 19, has ended.
East of the loop, TxDOT's drainage tunnel work has closed the Levander Loop pedestrian trail from just north of the Montopolis Bridge to just south of East Cesar Chavez Street through 2028. If your route used to continue past Pleasant Valley toward Montopolis, plan to turn around at the Wishbone Bridge.
Where to start if you're coming from the east end
East of I-35, the trailheads near the Wishbone Bridge give you the most options. The city lists these for the east side of the Boardwalk:
- International Shores Park, 1820 S. Lakeshore Blvd.
- Street parking on S. Lakeshore Blvd. between Pleasant Valley Road and Riverside
- Festival Beach, across the river
The Trail Conservancy's maps also show trailheads at Edward Rendon Sr. Park, Roy G. Guerrero Park, Pedernales Street and Martinez Street, with a Festival Beach Boat Ramp lot on the north shore. Starting from International Shores puts you on the south shore near the Wishbone Bridge, so you can go either direction without dealing with Riverside traffic. The ramp from the northbound I-35 frontage road onto the Boardwalk is closed until 2029, so if you used it before, switch to South Lakeshore Boulevard east of the highway or the trail entrance west of it.
Two November dates are within reach of the trail. Pease Park Conservancy's Luminarium: Phases lights up Kingsbury Commons on Friday, November 6. The 36th ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot starts at the Long Center at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving, November 26, with timed and untimed five-mile options and shorter runs.
The city kept the Butler Trail open throughout September and October 2026, even while festival season closed parts of Zilker's roads and parking lots. What has changed is where you cross the lake, and the east-end crossing at Pleasant Valley is the one to plan on.
If you're comparing parts of town by how easy it is to get onto the trail from your front door, or just want someone who checks the detour map as often as you do, Alli Heller is happy to help. Let's Connect.
