Check out the latest updates on three Northwest Austin transportation projects. 

183 North Mobility Project
Project: The project features two express lanes in each direction on US 183, a general-purpose lane and shared-use path connections.
Update: Ongoing nighttime lane closures are expected through May as crews perform final roadway surface work.

• Timeline: 2022-26
• Cost/funding source: $612 million from federal funding and sale of toll revenue bonds

• Timeline: 2026-28
• Cost/funding source: $64 million from 2016 Mobility Bond

• Timeline: 2025-27
• Cost/funding source: $9 million from Austin 2018 bond

Austin's redesigned city website launched early March 19, capping off a multimillion-dollar project intended to modernize and streamline the site.

The details: Austintexas.gov is now search-based, a layout the city called more intuitive for visitors by providing quicker navigation to the webpages or information they're seeking. The search tool was updated to add filtering options and other functions for more accurate results, according to the city, and is now the primary feature visitors are greeted with.

The redesign is the result of a multiyear, $5.5 million contract with Austin-based consultant Material Holdings authorized back in 2024. City communications and information technology officials previously said the redesign was needed to improve the website's organization and accessibility. Changes were long overdue, they said, as the previous version was overcrowded with thousands of individual webpages and proved difficult to navigate for some.

Check out top stories in Austin from April 6-9.

1. New European steakhouse opens in Georgetown

2. Final vision for alternative to Hwy. 71 approved in Bee Cave

3. 204 Texas breaks ground on nearly 600-acre film studio in Bastrop

4. New Leander restaurant grills up classic Persian, Mediterranean flavors

5. Traffic signals coming soon to Wyoming Springs Drive extension in Round Rock

6. New coffee shop to open in Hutto

Book Drive for Kids is celebrating half a decade of operation in the Austin area this spring, said Brooke Terry, director of the Austin chapter.

How it works: The nonprofit expanded to Austin in April 2021, hosting free book fairs at Title I and low-income elementary schools. April 15 marks the organization's fifth anniversary since its inaugural distribution event.

Book fairs through the nonprofit are free for all students and schools.

Why it matters: Terry founded the organization to promote literacy by providing access to books for children enrolled in low-income schools. In half a decade, Book Drive for Kids has distributed over 50,000 books to homes and classrooms in the Austin area. During the 2024-2025 school year, the nonprofit organization helped nearly 6,500 children, including Title I students, foster care children and at-risk youth. Currently, nearly 7,000 students are on a waitlist for a free book fair, Terry said.