Traffic Control Plan in Place
Permanent closures lasting throughout construction (Spring 2028) include:
The southbound lane of University Avenue from 21st Street to 20th Street
The northbound lane of Whitis Avenue from 20th Street to 21st Street
The pedestrian sidewalk and adjacent street parking are located on the North side of 20th Street between Whitis Ave and University Ave. Please follow the detour signage posted.
Whitis Avenue will be closed to traffic and pedestrians from June 30 to July 2. Traffic and pedestrians will be diverted to University Avenue or Guadalupe Street.
20th Street between Whitis Avenue and University will be closed to traffic from 7 AM to 5 PM from June 27th to July 11th. Traffic will be diverted to University Avenue or Guadalupe Street.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Paths may be slightly affected; follow the posted signage indicating route detours.
Map Legend
Construction Zone | 
Traffic Impacted Zone | 
Pedestrian Access |
Project Dates
Project Summary
The Dobie Center garage phase has been completed; making way for the next phase, which is the installation of underground utility infrastructure for the new Undergraduate School of Business. This new underground utility infrastructure phase will include new Water and Sewer Lines connected to the City of Austin system. Additional Electrical and Telecommunications lines to be added to the existing duct bank. New Thermal Lines will be added and connected to the existing UT Thermal and Tunnel System. This underground utility infrastructure will support the 18-story Underground Business School. When the infrastructure phase is completed, the next phase will be adding two story underground garage and first floor slab.
Project Location: The Construction Site is located on W 20th and W 21st Streets and Whitis and University Avenues.
Project Impacts
Pedestrian Impacts: Pedestrians will be rerouted to the west side of Whitis Avenue, the south side of 20th Street, and the east side of University Avenue due to sidewalk closures. These sidewalk closures may vary depending on the underground utility work being performed. What will not change is that the sidewalks on the east side of Whitis Avenue, the north side from 20th Street from Whitis Avenue to University Avenue, and the west side of University Avenue from 20th Street will be fenced in and not accessible to pedestrians.
Travel Impacts: The project will involve several significant closures to facilitate construction and ensure safety. Whitis Avenue's northbound lane and University's Southbound Lane between 20th and 21st streets will be closed intermittently depending on the work being performed. Traffic and Detour signage directing traffic to alternate streets accordingly will be posted. Street parking areas along Whitis, 20th, and University will be impacted. The initial phases of this construction include work to major utilities located in and around all adjacent streets. Additional intermittent, short-term road closures and traffic pattern adjustments will be necessary.
Bicycle Impacts: The project will not impact existing bike lanes or bike racks. There are no designated bike lanes around this project. Bicyclists are always encouraged to refer to the City of Austin Bike Map.
Parking Impacts: Street parking will be unavailable on the east side of Whitis Ave, the north side of 20th Street, and the west side of University Avenue.
Signage will be installed at key locations to assist with wayfinding. Due to the fluid nature of construction, this information is subject to change, but we will do our best to provide timely communication if changes are necessary.
Contact
For any questions about this project, please contact Planning, Design and Construction at construction@utexas.edu.