Tens of thousands of bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts have descended upon Austin for this year's Republic of Texas Biker Rally, and tonight they'll swarm downtown for a procession that will shut down 54 square blocks.
The bikers will ride along a nearly ten-mile parade route stretching from the Travis County Expo Center all the way to the intersection of Congress and Cesar Chavez. The bikers at the end of the procession won't leave the Expo Center until the first bikers have already arrived at the end of the route.
Street closures and parade route
Street closures will begin at 5 p.m. and last until 3 a.m., so if you're trying to escape downtown, do it early. Every east-west street from 2nd to 10th will be closed between Brazos and Colorado, and Congress will be closed between Cesar Chavez and 11th. Information about alternate routes can be found here.
Several Cap Metro bus routes will also experience delays between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. To get more information about the route disruptions, click here.
According to the city's website:
The parade will begin at 7:45 p.m. from the Travis County Exposition Center heading south on Decker to FM 969/East MLK Blvd. They will then turn right on MLK Blvd., left on Webberville road, left of Springdale road, right on Oak Springs Dr./Rosewood Ave., left on Hargrove, right on Pleasant Valley (over the bridge), left on Chestnut, right on 11th St., left on Congress Ave.
PARADE ROUTE:
Safety information
During last year's rally there were 184 crashes in Austin, 11 resulting in serious injuries. Sixty-three people were arrested for DWIs. There is a No Refusal initiative in place tonight from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Find more information here.