History of Closing Sixth Street

For many years, the East Sixth Street Corridor has been closed to vehicular traffic on weekends (Thursday through Sunday nights) with a combination of barricades and patrol cars. This area’s geographic boundaries are East 7th St. (North), Red River St. (East), East 5th St. (South), and Brazos St. (West). 

The East Sixth Street Entertainment District wasn't designed in a way to keep tens of thousands of visitors safe. In its previous design, pedestrians had a 10-foot unprotected sidewalk. The closures were instituted as a way to create a safe environment for large crowds enjoying the entertainment district.

There were a number of problems associated with the street closures, which were maintained exclusively by the Austin Police Department (APD). These closures created what stakeholders described as a “street party” culture where intoxicated visitors were allowed to be in the street. The problems (mostly fights) associated with these intoxicated visitors required several (usually 30 to 50 depending on a number of factors) uniformed police officers to provide security for persons visiting the entertainment district. Patrol officers also spent a large amount of time towing vehicles and placing/removing barricades around the entertainment district.

At the direction of City Management, Chief Davis has requested that the Downtown Area Command develop a safe way to open the East Sixth Street Corridor. 

Why open Sixth Street?

  • To ensure the safety and walkability of Sixth Street by providing pedestrians ample space and protection from vehicular traffic. 
  • To decrease the "street party" culture that leads to street fights, public intoxication, and other dangerous behaviors.
  • Allow for officers to respond to other calls in and around the downtown area, rather than dedicating a large number of officers to street closures.
  • Increase economic opportunities for local businesses and create a more vibrant, walkable district.

The Austin Police Department met with City of Austin (COA) departments and key stakeholders to listen, develop, and implement a safe and thoughtful traffic plan to reopen E. Sixth Street COA Departments and Stakeholders included: 

  • City of Austin Transportation and Public Works Department
  • Austin Police Downtown Area Command (DTAC) Patrol, Executive Staff, Finance, and PIO
  • Austin Fire Department (AFD)
  • Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS)
  • City of Austin Development Services Division - Nightlife Entertainment
  • City of Austin Economic Development Department
  • Downtown Austin Alliance
  • Property owners and business operators

Implementation plan

Phase 1: Met to discuss how to implement the plan:

  • Traffic plan
  • Resources needed (barricades/signage/staffing)
  • Met with stakeholders to discuss plan and get feedback

Phase 2: Implementation

Phase 3: Assess data and steps to move forward

What streets will be opened?

  • East Sixth Street open for westbound traffic only, from Red River St. to Brazos St., Thursday through Sunday.
  • All north/south traffic at San Jacinto, Trinity, and Neches streets will be closed Thursday through Sunday.

What changes will you see?

  • White fences to keep pedestrians from entering traffic.

Sixth Street white fencing

  • Rubber curbs have been installed to keep traffic from crossing into pedestrian areas.

                              6th St.                     6th St.

If there are large crowds:

  • The Sixth Street corridor will be closed at 1:45 a.m., before bar close, to ensure there is enough egress space for visitors leaving at bar close, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
  • Food carts will be relocated to side streets on Friday and Saturday nights to allow for more ingress/egress.
  • During the daytime, parking will be available along the north curb line of East Sixth Street, in the 200 and 500 blocks. Signage with specific times for parking is posted. 

If your vehicle is towed, call Austin 3-1-1 to locate it.