If you’re fed up with your government not filling potholes on your daily commute, be glad that’s all it is. At least you aren’t doing a slightly smaller scale version of the drawbridge jump from “2 Fast 2 Furious.” Drivers on Highway 290 East in Austin, Texas, can look up at the northbound Interstate 35 flyover and see what I’m talking about. Or, you can look at these embeds from social media.
Austin locals started posting about it online Tuesday, and I stumbled across it while on Reddit last night. User __MOON_KNIGHT___ uploaded this clip to r/Austin, with the comment section going about how you’d expect. To my surprise, the Texas Department of Transportation had already inspected the area and given it the all-clear.
And here’s another by Reddit user Dollypootin:
TxDOT told local ABC affiliate KVUE that there were no structural concerns with the bridge. Likewise, a spokesperson for the department told MySA, “TxDOT has monitored the flyovers at US 290 and I-35 for some time and they are structurally sound. The bridge joints are designed to expand and contract. In the case of these joints, they’ve created a larger gap and are due for replacement. There is a plan to replace the bridge joints. Replacement should get underway soon.”
So, they plan to fix it. That’s good news. But it doesn’t seem to be incredibly pressing, which is almost hard to believe.
There haven’t been any reported incidents due to the gap. You can also find previous snapshots of the joints in less-than-ideal shape on Google Earth. These screenshots show the flyover’s condition in March 2024, and although the guardrail hadn’t yet separated, it still looked super sketchy.
Anywho, just be careful if you drive an EG Civic on cut springs and decide to take that route. I can’t imagine the jolt you’d get from that when a roadkill possum rattles your teeth.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com