Nearly 40 years after planning began, construction on Oak Hill Parkway in Southwest Austin is substantially complete. After five years of construction and at a cost of nearly $680 million, the improved roadway now serves the growing number of commuters in the area.

“This project enhances safety and addresses one of the region’s most congested corridors,” Texas Transportation Commissioner Steven Alvis said in a news release.

The framework: The $677 million reconstruction of the seven-mile roadway segment has been ongoing since 2021, transforming a four-lane, undivided roadway into a six-lane divided highway with 15 miles of shared-use paths.

Travelers can now utilize two to three main lanes and frontage road lanes in each direction, as well as several bridge intersections. 'The Y,' or the intersection of Hwy. 71 and Hwy. 290, features flyovers to avoid through traffic.

“I would say if [people] haven’t been over here lately, come check it out because it’s a lot easier to get around,” local resident Matthew Fouss said.

Austin City Council candidates raised nearly $730,000 and spent over $965,000 combined in 2026, with more than half a million dollars still available for the final week of their campaigns.

The details: Local political action committees favoring certain candidates and ballot measures spent roughly $1.2 million this year. Political spending largely centered around bond measures and Proposition I, a charter proposal backed by Save Austin Now to require recurring audits of city spending.

Campaign activity across the five council districts included:

• District 1: Six candidates drew more than $258,000 and spent over $223,000, led by Amber K. Goodwin

• District 3: Five candidates drew over $112,000 and spent more than $93,000, led by incumbent council member José Velásquez

• District 5: This race generated the most spending activity, with council member Ryan Alter and challenger David Weinberg leading fundraising and spending

• District 8: Selena Xie out-raised and outspent opponent Jeffery Bowen

• District 9: Incumbent council member Zo Qadri widely outspent his challengers

The University of Texas at Austin unveiled the rebranded UT Dell Medicine, its academic health system anchored by Dell Medical School. The system is primed for a multi-billion dollar expansion with the planned UT Dell Medical Center coming to Northwest Austin.

UT officials said the system combines patient care, research and education capacity, and unveiled its new name and logo on Oct. 27.

The cornerstone medical complex will be situated on 27 acres of the UT Campus for Advanced Research near The Domain. It'll include hundreds of patient beds and focus on cardiovascular, cancer, neurological, transplant and advanced intensive care. Cancer services will be developed and operated through a partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Initial site preparations begin a week after the October UT Dell Medicine ceremony, with the medical center expected to open in 2030.

Austinites can now fly directly to Anchorage, Alaska. The new nonstop destination from Alaska Airlines will begin service from Austin to Anchorage on June 12 and will operate once weekly on Saturdays through Aug. 7.

The details: This is the latest domestic expansion for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, announced on Oct. 27. The new destination is also the only nonstop connection between Central Texas and the state of Alaska.

Zooming in: Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city and a gateway to the Kenai Peninsula, offering travelers access to Alaska’s state and national parks, outdoor adventures and Denali, according to a news release.