Check out three Northwest Austin transportation project updates.

Burnet Road Mobility Program

Project: The project will feature updated traffic signals, improved crossings, bus stop improvements, trail connections, shared-use paths and more on Burnet Road from White Horse Trail to US 183 (C2), Bright Verde Way to MoPac (C3) and US 183 to Bright Verde Way (C4).

Update: An August update from city officials stated that construction on all three segments is underway as of early June.

• Timeline: 2026-28

• Cost: $64 million

• Funding source: 2016 Mobility Bond

Spicewood Springs Road Regional Mobility Project

Project: The project includes widening the two-lane road into a four-lane road with left-turn bays, creating two water detention ponds and shared-use paths, and improving the storm drain system and wastewater lines.

Update: An Aug. 11 update from the city stated that weather-related delays pushed the project's substantial completion to summer 2027. Starting in September, work will be underway on shared-use pathways on both sides of Spicewood Springs Road.

• Timeline: 2023-27

• Cost: $31 million

• Funding source: city of Austin 2016 Mobility Bond

Austin voters can hear from candidates running for five City Council seats on this year's ballot at a series of moderated panels.

A closer look: The public forums are sponsored by the city, the Ethics Review Commission and the League of Women Voters Austin Area. Events will take place in-person in the relevant council districts, streamed live on ATXN and aired on KAZI FM 88.7.

Panels include:

• District 5 on Sept. 17

• District 8 on Sept. 21

• District 9 on Sept. 29

• District 3 on Oct. 1

• District 1 on Oct. 15

Voters can submit questions for the moderators by email or phone, and request interpretation services via 3-1-1 ahead of the events.

Travis County Commissioners Court approved Central Health's $1.015 billion fiscal year 2026-27 budget Sept. 15, including $127.5 million for crisis and recovery mental healthcare with $54 million in new investments.

The breakdown: New funding includes $33.1 million for 22 inpatient psychiatric beds and 10 psychiatric emergency department bays, $16 million for a new Mental Health Crisis Care Center, and smaller allocations for jail-based health support, an expanded crisis care team and medication access.

The budget also carries a tax rate of $0.132863 per $100 valuation, raising the median homeowner's bill by about $36 a year.

What's next: The new psychiatric beds could open within months, while the standalone crisis center is years away. Austin City Council is expected to receive a briefing on the related No Wrong Door initiative during its Oct. 6 work session.

A Kia dealership in Austin, a Walmart in Liberty Hill and an Olive Garden in Kyle are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Kia of Central Austin ($36 million): A new 206,601-square-foot Kia dealership is set to begin construction in Austin next spring.

2. Walmart ($12.2 million): A new Walmart Supercenter is coming to Liberty Hill with construction set to begin in October.

3. Hill Country Bible Georgetown ($6.2 million): This project involves the construction of new admin and student ministry buildings at the Hill Country Bible Church in Georgetown.

4. Olive Garden ($4.1 million): A new Olive Garden restaurant is coming to Kyle, with construction set to wrap up late next year.

5. 3rd Wave Climbing Gym ($2.3 million): This project involves the renovation and change of occupancy of an existing warehouse building into an indoor climbing gym facility.