The Statesman confirmed this morning what those of us addicted to petrol already know: traffic in Austin remains the third worst in the country. This is the second year we've made it to #3, beating out Houston and Dallas/Ft. Worth. Our 'travel time index' is 1.28, which means "a rush-hour trip takes 28 percent longer on average than one in free-flowing traffic. That puts the area behind only metropolitan Los Angeles, at 1.38, and the Washington area, with an index of 1.33, and tied with New York City and the San Francisco Bay area." Engineer Tim Lomax, who writes the report each year, noted a few reasons for the congestion. He notes some improvement in recent years thanks to toll roads, but points to the economic depression as a primary change indicator. He told Ben Wear at the Statesman, "The couple of decades that (Austin) spent not building roads hoping people would not come, San Antonio spent that time building roads. They expanded I-10 and 410. They've got more ways through town." more ›

The E. 7th st. Improvement Project began seven years ago, in 2003. Public meetings were held for three years, until 2006. Utility upgrading began in 2007, and then construction crews began ripping up pavement over a year ago, in March of 2010. Finally, three years of construction on East Seventh between Navasota Street and Pleasant Valley Road in East Austin ended Sunday, August 7, 2011. more ›

Falling glass has plagued the W Hotel recently. On Monday, a few glass panels fell more than 20 feet from the side of the downtown hotel; yesterday a glass panel shattered in place and broke two pieces under it, with glass falling onto the closed pool area. Luckily, no one was injured. Given this chain of events, the W Hotel has closed for the time being so that all the balcony glass on the building can be replaced. more ›

It's that time again! Thousands of bikers descend on Austin this weekend for the Republic of Texas rally at the Travis County Expo Center. There will be downtown street closures starting tonight at 6pm (to reopen at 3am Saturday) for the parade of bikes that will be heading that way from the Expo Center this evening. Watch for bikers on the road! Since yesterday (when the rally kicked off), there have been three motorcycle crashes -- at least one of them fatal -- in Austin and the surrounding area. APD has designated this a no-refusal weekend after the three alcohol-related vehicle fatalities that occurred during the weekend of last year's rally. Of course, no-refusal applies to drivers as well as bikers. Drive (and bike) safe, Austin. more ›

The repaving of South Congress that was set to begin this week has been postponed because of water line repairs, supposedly to start sometime next week instead. The stretch of road from Oltorf to Riverside will be resurfaced in three phases through June and part of July. Some lanes of South Congress will be closed daily during the construction, so be forewarned. On-street parking won't be allowed within the work zone, and residential streets off of South Congress will also likely be affected by the roadwork. Once this portion of South Congress is repaved, the city plans to institute reverse angle parking, such as is already in use on Dean Keeton and W. Sixth Street. more ›

Because of construction on the connection ramps between IH35 and Ben White (SH71), IH35 northbound will be closed Friday night at 10pm (the diversion kicks off at 8pm, though). Southbound IH35 main lanes will close on Saturday at 10pm. The northbound traffic will detour to the access road from north of Stassney to about Woodward. Southbound will detour to the access road from north of Woodward to a temporary ramp near Shelby Lane. To encourage drivers to take an alternate route, all toll roads east of IH35 will have tolls waived from early morning Saturday until Sunday at 6pm. By late Sunday night, the highway should be back to normal. [TxDOT] more ›

As you likely already heard, our President will be stopping in Austin this evening for a fundraiser event at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, before hitting another fundraiser in the Lake Austin area. Air Force One lands at ABIA at 5pm and then his motorcade will start on its way downtown, right smack during rush hour. There's no known route to skip this evening, because the Secret Service won't release one ahead of time. Even if you're heading in the opposite direction from the route they do take, there is the possibility the road might be closed for a short time anyway (one time when Bush was in town, we were stopped on the IH35 access road as his motorcade went under it on 290E). If you can take side streets to get home, you might want to do so -- or leave work before 5pm. [Statesman] more ›

Between 9:00 and 11:30 a.m., Congress Ave. will be closed for traffic in order to make room for the statewide peace officers' memorial, which will end at the Capitol steps. more ›

An early morning fuel truck spill has led authorities to evacuate 40 nearby homes in the Georgetown area. The 18-wheeler flipped on Del Webb Blvd (near Sun City Georgetown) around 8am. The driver only received minor injuries in the accident; the road remains closed while a Hazardous Materials crew cleans up. [KXAN] more ›

This morning around 9am, a bicyclist was struck by a driver on 45th Street near Burnet Road. The 45-year-old cyclist was bleeding and unconscious after being hit by the vehicle, and responders took him to UMC Brackenridge. The driver remained on the scene after the accident to speak to investigators. [Statesman] more ›

It’s the most wonderful time of year, a time when Austinites entertain multiple houseguests, are exposed to new music, and get to interact with the extra couple thousand people that grace our fair city. With that in mind, the Austin Music Commission met Monday night to discuss how to deal with the, ahem, irritations that come along with South by Southwest. On the agenda? Parking difficulties, noise complaints and traffic issues. more ›

• Are you okay with attacking Libya? If we set up a no-fly zone, we may have to.
• Did you know that there are also protests taking place in Yemen? Look out Saudi Arabia, you may be next.
• Apparently it is okay to shoot women if you are the government of the Ivory Coast.

As if traffic isn't already messy at this time of day, authorities are recommending motorists stay off Mopac northbound near the 45th street exit as they battle a grass fire. The fire is currently situated by the 45th street exit, in between the road and the fence behind the Post West apartment complex. Update: KVUE says the fire has been contained. more ›

• Wisconsin's controversial bill passes in their House.
• US government trying to back winners in MidEast protests.
• The U.S. Government would also like to know who is going to revolt next.

Following months of discussion, Austin's expanded ban on texting while driving goes into effect on Friday. The law makes it illegal to text, use a mobile device for GPS, or access websites while behind the wheel. more ›

First Night Austin and general New Year's Eve festivities this Thursday will leave many downtown streets closed throughout the day. Here's a breakdown of the major closures: more ›

While working on the 4300 block of Manor Road today, street crews discovered a sink hole. To do adequate repairs, they have had to close that area of Manor Road (next to Morris Williams Golf Course, between Pershing Dr. and Lovell Dr.) down to one lane until 7pm this evening. Flaggers will be directing traffic, but the city recommends staying away from this part of Manor Road if you can. more ›

Currently all lanes of IH35 at mile marker 280 between Jarrell and Salado (at the Bell/Williamson county line) are closed because of flooding. KXAN reports that the access roads have also been closed. This area north of Austin has reportedly received 10 inches of rain since last night. [Statesman on Twitter] more ›

Austinite Michelle Deloach was driving up MoPac on Labor Day, headed for a barbecue, when a 5-foot-long tree log smashed into her Honda Civic. more ›

• Louisiana Pastor says Jindal should reimburse taxpayers for his helicopter trips to church.
• President Obama to address Republican attacks on health care.
• Out of work? The government is hiring, maybe.

• Fried butter is coming to the State Fair of Texas. “Big Tex” might just get bigger….
• P.E. requirements reduced by the State of Texas, but you’ll still need them to graduate from the Corpus Christi Independent School District!
• Want to live to be 110? Don’t take a car! (That's actual advice from someone who is 110 years old.)

A SWAT situation has been going on since mid-afternoon on the Barton Creek Greenbelt near 360 and Mopac. APD says a man with a gun is threatening suicide. All Mopac southbound lanes are closed from 290/71 to 360, and KXAN posted to Twitter that the Mopac northbound lanes will be closed soon at 360. If you know an alternate way to get down south instead of Mopac, you might want to take it. [Statesman] more ›

A great-grandmother from the Hill Country has taken on legal representation after being tasered and jailed for resisting arrest. more ›

Be prepared for these road closures tomorrow caused by First Night prep. A Travis County sheriff's car was stolen with thousands of dollars worth of equipment in it. KVUE newsvan flipped on IH35 in Round Rock; passengers are ok. Georgetown cop was assisting someone by the side of the road when a drunk driver seriously injured him last night. Fort Hood and UT partnering up to help military families who have children with disabilities. DMN names Dallas County DA Craig Watkins Texan of the Year (Laura Bush and Phil Gramm also make their list, though). One of the "Jena Six" attempts suicide after a shoplifting charge. more ›

News 8 Austin reports that companies wishing to use photographic evidence in court must possess a certain "private investigator's license"—neither the camera company used by the City of Austin nor the largest firm in Texas has this license. more ›

After an accident this afternoon involving an 18-wheeler and a bus left oil on the road, the northbound side near 11400 IH-35 (near Onion Creek) is currently closed while crews clean up. [KXAN via Twitter] more ›

Road closures downtown for tomorrow's festivities. City of Austin needs more lifeguards to keep summer water programs operating. Holly Street neighborhood concerned about five-story condo development set to be built across the street from the old power plant. New Leander high school will be named after a soldier (and Leander High grad) killed in Iraq. A woman may have lured a man into a Fourth Street alley where he was robbed and beaten by two men Monday night. more ›

A chunk of Cesar Chavez will be closed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Sunday as the City continues converting the downtown street to 2-way. They will be installing conduit for a streetlight at the Guadalupe/Cesar Chavez intersection, and the street will be closed from about San Antonio to Lavaca; the S. 1st Street bridge will be closed at Riverside. Plan any downtown excursion on Sunday accordingly! [City of Austin] more ›

The Austin Police Department is conducting a web survey about driving safety and driving behaviour. With just a few clicks you can agree or disagree with questions like "There are a lot of bad drivers on the road." "Bad" seems redundant, but there are certainly a lot of drivers on the road, so umm ... "Strongly Agree" seems right. more ›

A wall at Rice University campus collapsed this afternoon, trapping four people. Millions of pounds of toxins from Mexico may soon be headed for incineration in Port Arthur if the EPA approves an exemption. Gov. Perry agrees with his buddy in the White House on lifting the ban on offshore exploration. "This is likely not the finest moment for DPS," Texas Public Safety Commission chairman admits after an internal investigation into how an arsonist was able to bypass security and set fire to the Governor's Mansion. Worst exit in Texas at southbound IH35 and MLK, second worst at northbound IH35 and Riverside. Or so this study says, anyway. more ›