A new Persian restaurant from Amir Hajimaleki—chef and owner of District Kitchen and Cocktails, Oasthouse Kitchen and Bar, Keepers Coastal Kitchen, and Daisy Lounge—is now offering dishes that Hajimaleki has been serving at exclusive pop-up dinners across Austin since 2018.

On the menu: Roya honors Hajimaleki’s family heritage, according to a news release, serving dishes including:

• Wild mushroom borani, with garlic labneh, fire-roasted mushrooms, black garlic chili oil, pine nuts and taftoon
• Mahiche gheymeh, with saffron tomato braised lamb shank, split peas, dried lime and shoestring sibzamini
• Wagyu chenjeh kabob, with Australian wagyu, Roya fenugreek seasoning and tarragon chimichurri

• 7858 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin

Starting Feb. 16, the northbound I-35 frontage road at Riverside Drive will be closed through 2029 to accommodate construction of a pedestrian bridge across Lady Bird Lake. The project is part of the I-35 Capital Express Central Project's Lady Bird Lake segment. 

The update: According to Texas Department of Transportation officials, a Riverside Drive bypass lane is now open and a temporary south-to-north U-turn at Woodland Avenue will be opened in order to accommodate the closure. Northbound frontage road traffic across Lady Bird Lake bridge will be reduced to one lane, and the existing pedestrian path and north sidewalk on Riverside Drive will be closed. This traffic pattern is expected to remain in place through 2029. 

Some context: The I-35 Capital Express Central Project is a $4.5 billion project slated to bring two nontolled high-occupancy vehicle lanes between Hwy. 290 and Hwy. 71, remove upper decks along I-35, sink sections of the roadway by about 25 feet and widen the corridor with more lanes. 

Barton Springs Pool will close Feb. 23-March 13 for maintenance, including the removal of a decades-old pipeline that's prompted environmental and safety concerns.

What's happening: The multiweek pool closure was announced by the city in February after Austin Parks and Recreation and Austin Watershed Protection identified potentially unstable portions of a 1940s bypass line near the pool. The pipeline experienced damage after multiple floods over the years, and is now at risk of collapsing into the pool area.

In response, the Barton Springs Skimmer Bypass Project was launched to remove some or all of the aging pipeline to address those risks. City departments determined removing the bypass would be the best option based on cost and timeline, with the project scheduled for this winter to minimize recreational impacts.

The project will also have protections in place for the endangered salamander living around Barton Springs, and may end up improving their habitat.