With 70,000 people making their way there each day, you can expect heavy traffic this weekend as people head down to the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Big delays around ACL host Zilker Park are a given. Here’s what you need to know:
- Road Closures: The city is closing or reducing lanes around the park including Barton Springs Road from around MoPac to Robert E. Lee Road.
- Catch the Bus: Roads will also be closed around Republic Square Park at Fifth Street and Guadalupe Street to make room for Capital Metro's free ACL Shuttle at downtown. The shuttle drops off at ACL’s doorstep in Zilker Park.
- Taking a Car? Think Twice: ACL organizers are hoping attendees will park at One Texas Center [map] and the Palmer Events Center [map], as there is no parking at the festival site, and parking in residential neighborhoods around Zilker is strongly discouraged.
- Pedal Power: With hundreds of bike racks available, biking is the preferred way to get to Zilker. Looking for the best route there? The city has a bicycle route map on its website.
- Stay Up on Road Conditions: You can read more about traveling to ACL on the festival website. And if you’re trying to make it past the fest, you can view Austin Police’s TrafficViewer app and stay up to date on travel conditions on the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management website.
Here's a map of ACL-related street closures.
View ACL Street Closures in a larger map
It won't just be Central Austin that's congested. While ACL-goers enter Austin, others are heading out to take in the Red River Rivalry football game between the UT Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says all available troopers will out on the roads this weekend.
“We’re out there for voluntary compliance. We’re not there to write any tickets unless we absolutely have to," Trooper Robbie Barera says.
Barera reminds drivers they can avoid tickets by following posted speed limits, wearing their seat belts and eliminating distractions.
“We want everyone to plan ahead," Barera says. "With the additional traffic it is going to take you longer to get into Austin as well as to the game so give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination and just be patient. Everyone is trying to get to the same place and the goal is to get there safely.”
