City workers will start erecting concrete barriers in place of the water-soaked barricades on East Sixth Street today.
Though not everyone is prepared to clean up Dirty Sixth, the move is one step in Austin’s attempt to tame the notoriously rowdy strip and create a more friendly zone that attracts a wider age range and more spending.
The new concrete barricades will run along both sides of the street for two blocks, from San Jacinto Boulevard to Neches Street. They will be 3.5 feet tall, which is shorter than the existing plastic ones. The January-installed rubberized curb from Neches to Red River Street will stay in place.
Following construction, the Downtown Austin Alliance, a nonprofit organization that represents individuals, companies, and property owners, will fund a local artist to paint a mural on the barriers.
The Austin Transportation and Public Works-funded $150,000 study is a component of a growing safety trial involving Sixth Street. In addition to making the area a more hospitable place during the day and early evenings, city officials hope to lessen street clashes and drunken drinking.
Hannah Rangel, a vice president of the Downtown Austin Alliance, stated that, “The objective is for there to be an evolution into an 18-hour district, which includes high density, high foot traffic, late Saturday nights, and all the things that we know and love about Sixth Street.” However, it also offers a variety of dining options, daytime activities, and something for everyone.
For many years, the Austin Police Department prohibited cars from using Sixth Street on weekends, allowing young people to congregate in the street and crawl between double-decker bars.
However, when APD started leaving Sixth Street open to cars in December of last year, foot traffic was forced back onto the sidewalks. Police would only stop cars and allow pedestrians to cross the street when the sidewalks were overcrowded, such as when bars were ready to close.
Compared to January and February 2024, the number of instances in which police used physical force against individuals on Sixth Street decreased by half in the first two months of 2025, according to APD Chief Lisa Davis. Arrests decreased by a third, from 171 to 113.
A significant cultural and behavioral transformation is taking place. According to Rangel, it’s a vital and constructive step in the district’s progress.
According to several bar employees, the new arrangement hasn’t really done anything to stop drunken violence.
Jose Ayala, a bartender at Cheers Shot Bar, stated, “I suppose there’s a little bit less, but it still happens.” Now that everyone seems to be confined to a little space [on the sidewalk], it’s more intense. Now you have people stumbling into each other by accident, and tensions start to build.
After months of trial and error, concrete barricades were finally used. People leaning on temporary fencing that was put up in January caused damage. The base of the fencing protruded into the street, and cars would drive over it.
The brightly colored white and yellow barricades, which weigh hundreds of pounds when filled with water, were used in place of the white fences in May. However, they were only intended as a stopgap measure.
The new concrete barriers will stay in place while staff members work on long-term design adjustments meant for the future, according to Richard Mendoza, the city’s senior transportation official.
As early as this month, the city is anticipated to make available ideas for a comprehensive redesign of Sixth Street. By the end of October, the City Council must receive a final proposal.
The conversion of Sixth roadway from a one-way to a two-way roadway between Brazos and I-35 is one of the modifications under consideration. This would transform the road’s use as a bustling east-west automobile corridor to one that is more destination-oriented.
A new chapter for Sixth Street is already being banked on by some investors. Stream Realty Partners, a Dallas-based company, is one of them. Since 2019, it has purchased numerous properties along the street, including Easy Tiger, All Saints Tattoo, and Dirty Dog Bar. According to county tax data, the 39 properties owned by Stream on Sixth Street are currently worth more than $220 million.
Mendoza stated that although these parties are being consulted over the adjustments, the design will be influenced by public feedback.
It will take roughly two days to remove the water-filled obstacles, according to TPW spokesperson Brad Cesak. It will take roughly two more to install the concrete barricades. So, they ought to be up before the weekend throng arrive.
According to Cesak, the northernmost lane will be used for loading and ridesharing drop-off and pick-up after the concrete barriers are put in place.
The mural will be completed by the end of the month, according to the Downtown Austin Alliance.
As part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting collaboration with KUT, this story was created.
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