Check out the latest business updates in the Southwest Austin area.

Now open

Pinky’s Smash & Sip

The restaurant serves smashburgers, sides such as mozzarella sticks, onion rings and jalapeño poppers, and a variety of drinks including milkshakes and dirty sodas.

• Soft opened Sept. 16

• 9901 Brodie Lane, Ste. 170, Austin

Still Austin Quarter

The team behind Still Austin Whiskey Co. opened the 15,000-square-foot space, which operates as a cocktail bar and music venue that can accommodate up to 500 guests, offering a food and cocktail menu featuring Still Austin’s spirits.

• Opened Oct. 10

• 4211 Willow Springs Road, Austin

Titán Blooms

The wholesale floral shop offers a variety of plants, including seasonal flowers, floral supplies and Mexican clay pottery.

• Opened in September

• 8708 S. Congress Ave., Austin

Multiple transportation projects are ongoing in Southwest Austin that may affect commutes.

Ongoing projects

I-35 Capital Express South Project

Project: The Texas Department of Transportation will add two high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, a southbound bypass lane and pedestrian and bicycle paths.

Update: The eastbound and westbound SH 71/Ben White Boulevard to southbound I-35 flyovers were closed nightly Sept. 20-24 for bridge column work.

Slaughter Lane Corridor Improvements

Project: Improvements will be made between MoPac Expressway and Brodie Lane, transforming the street into a six-lane divided roadway. The city will add modernized traffic signals, shared-use paths and drainage upgrades.

Update: In August, the City of Austin began installing mast arms for future traffic signals at several locations. Drivers experienced brief delays and closures.

Austin leaders voted to strengthen the city's Construction Training Program, which was created in 2018 to require contractors on city infrastructure projects to include early-career construction trainees in their workforce. The program applies to projects budgeted at $500,000 and up, with stricter requirements for those above the $10 million threshold.

The details: Sponsored by Mayor Kirk Watson, the update approved this fall will adjust existing policies for those $10 million-plus projects by:

• Allowing only current participants in construction apprenticeships, and not past graduates, to count toward program requirements

• Increasing the required trainee workforce benchmark from 15% to at least 20%

These updates will be phased in from 2027 into 2028 to allow for apprentice recruitment and program adjustments. The initiative complements City Hall's focus on the construction workforce through the Austin Infrastructure Academy, which recently received millions of dollars in civic funding.