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Published on January 16, 2025
Austin Mayor Leads Discussion on East Sixth Street Safety Enhancements with City OfficialsSource: City of Austin

Wednesday morning, city officials, including Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, gathered at Parkside restaurant to openly discuss the new and ongoing changes to East Sixth Street aiming at enhancing pedestrian safety. Mayor Watson's vision for Sixth Street is a district that thrives at all hours, offering generous walking space and diverse establishments to a broad audience, but emphasizes that "most of all, Sixth Street must be safe," as reported by the City of Austin.

The major development to unfold is shifting pedestrians to wider, safeguarded sidewalks, a significant move to transform the renowned street, traditionally closed to cars from Thursday to Sunday nights. Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis, who has significantly engaged to fully grasp the dynamics of the area, mentioned a successfully executed December "soft launch," which allowed vehicles on Sixth Street during what used to be closed-off times, without any incidents as reported by the City of Austin.

Streetscape changes include rubber curbs and white flex posts strategically installed between Brazos and Red River streets to separate the expanded walkways from the vehicular lanes. City staff also plan to install fences to prevent pedestrians on the sidewalk from stepping into the street outside of intersections, ensuring a clearly demarcated, safe space for walkers.

Anna Martin, assistant director for the City’s Transportation and Public Works Department, described the widened sidewalks as a step toward achieving mobility goals for a street that functions for our community, not just on weekend nights but 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Furthermore, the incoming changes aim to keep Sixth Street open to westbound traffic throughout the weekend and shutting down north and southbound intersection traffic between Thursday and Sunday, essentially altering the centuries-old policy of full street closure on these days.

Zo Qadri, Austin City Council Member and representative of District 9, expresses how monumental these changes are for the historic Sixth Street, viewing them as a pivotal phase of a larger revitalization ideal targeting the street's renaissance. Echoing these sentiments, Sheryl Sculley, a Downtown Austin Alliance board member, praised the initiative and highlighted the Alliance's collaboration with the City in the comprehensive approach to maintaining safety on Sixth Street.