AUSTIN (KXAN) — One lane of southbound North Lamar Boulevard will close for construction related to a landslide along Shoal Creek that happened at the beginning of May. The lane north of West 24th Street will shut down Saturday, July 14 and be closed for a week.
The clay and limestone crumbled following heavy rain, putting four homes on the bluff in danger. The city is working with those homeowners to work on their land and public land to stabilize the slope and repair damaged utilities, including a 30-inch wastewater line that collapsed.
The closure on North Lamar Boulevard comes as crews build a pipe to reroute the wastewater from an existing pipeline on the north side of Shoal Creek to an auxiliary one on North Lamar. This new line will operate at capacity with little room for contingency flows, so it will only be temporary until the old line can be fixed. The temporary line should be completed by August, according to the Watershed Protection Department.
Officials say since the landslide, the area has been “generally stable,” although there has been erosion following rains at the beginning of July.
The city plans to hold a public meeting on July 19 to provide an update on the details of the plan to restore the damaged drainage and wastewater infrastructure.
