The stone-and-wood schoolhouse at 6240 W. Hwy. 290 was built in 1923. It sits on the same stretch of US 290 that KXAN described as five years under construction. In September, two things happened in that corner of Oak Hill. TxDOT celebrated the end of the Oak Hill Parkway, and the old school opened as a farm-to-table restaurant called Escuela, according to Community Impact's October roundup of Southwest Austin businesses.
From Travis Country, US 290 West is a road you use for errands, trips out to Dripping Springs, and everything else past the Y. Since 2021 that stretch has meant barrels, detours and shifting lanes. The road now works as designed, though crews are still out there. And the block at the center of old Oak Hill is a place you can actually stop again.
One highway, four finish lines
"Opened" has meant different things over the past few months, depending on who was talking:
- July 20, 2026. Fluor, the project contractor, dates substantial completion to this day.
- July 2026. TxDOT's project page says that as of this month, drivers could use the new mainlanes, frontage roads and ramps.
- September 24, 2026. The ribbon-cutting. KLBJ reported that morning that major parts of the project were already carrying traffic, including the elevated US 290 lanes that pass through the Y without stopping at a traffic light.
- End of 2026. A construction trade report from October 1 expects landscaping, paving and striping to continue through the end of the year, with final completion by year-end.
In its October 6 recap of September, TxDOT summed it up as "three decades of planning, construction and community input." The $679 million project rebuilt the US 290/SH 71 interchange, added flyovers between the two highways, built nonstop mainlanes through the corridor, and improved accommodations for people on bikes and on foot.
All four dates are accurate. For anyone heading west from Travis Country, the September date is the one that matters least. The real driving change came in July, and final completion is expected by the end of the year.
What the barrels still mean through December
TxDOT's own page puts it plainly: "The barrels will remain for now." Painting, landscaping, asphalt paving, striping and shared-use path work are still going, and TxDOT says lane closures may be needed to finish them.
| Finished and carrying traffic | Still underway |
|---|---|
| New US 290 mainlanes through the Y | Asphalt paving |
| Frontage roads and ramps | Striping and painting |
| Flyovers between US 290 and SH 71 | Landscaping |
| Rebuilt interchange at the Y | Shared-use path improvements |
Most of that remaining work happens at night. For the week of October 19, TxDOT's alerts page listed overnight closures of the William Cannon Drive exits in both directions, the eastbound US 290 exit to SH 71 and RM 1826, and the U-turns at William Cannon, generally from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. It also listed a left-lane closure on westbound US 290 between MoPac and Patton Ranch Road "through late October." That's the stretch Travis Country drivers use to get onto the corridor.
The schedule changes week to week, so the live Oak Hill Parkway alerts page is worth bookmarking before a late drive home. The page still opens with "Construction is ongoing" and warns neighbors to expect noise, vibration, dust and lighting. TxDOT's construction-expectations page says community impacts may last through 2026.
The project design calls for 14 miles of shared-use path and 1.5 miles of sidewalk. TxDOT still lists shared-use path improvements as active work and gives no finish date for them.
Daytime is a different picture. In FOX 7's coverage of the completion, TxDOT Austin District Engineer Tucker Ferguson said:
"The Y intersection was consistently ranked as one of the most congested segments in all the state of Texas."
FOX 7 then added its own read: "But that's not the case anymore."
The block the highway was built around
The Y sits next to Oak Hill's historic core. A historic-resources survey done for the City of Austin lists Oak Hill School as an Austin Historic Landmark. Its neighbor, the J. A. Patton Store, known as the old rock store, is both a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and an Austin Historic Landmark. The consultants recommended that interested parties pursue a historic district "in and around the 6200 block of U. S. Highway 290 West." The core of that proposed district would be the Patton Store, the Patton-Enochs House, Oak Hill School and a 1935 highway marker, with the Williamson Creek bridge and Oak Hill Cemetery among the related sites nearby.
The school's timeline reads like a short history of Oak Hill. The city survey dates the building to 1923 and records room additions in 1933 and 1954. According to Escuela's history of the property, the school moved into a new building in 1974.
So the 6200 block spent five years as the edge of a work zone and is now right next to finished lanes. The first new business to open on it went into the building with the longest history there.
What's on the table at Escuela this fall
Escuela's team page lists Don and Terri Brinkman as co-founders and Truett Brinkman as president and co-founder. Karsten Spieth is executive chef. In its October 6 listing, The Infatuation describes it as a project from the team behind Cabo Bob's.
The property covers more than five acres, and produce is grown on site with organic and regenerative practices. Farm manager Matthew Fain oversees the crops that go to the kitchen.
The first restaurant open is Fino, a refined, seasonal Tex-Mex concept set in the restored schoolhouse and its covered patio. The Fall 2026 menu on OpenTable includes:
- Crudo and shareables, such as tilefish ceviche, Gulf shrimp aguachile, guacamole and queso
- Quail and smoked chicken
- Pork chop, carne asada, steaks and fajitas
The details you need before you go:
- Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
- Reservations: Through OpenTable, which opens bookings 30 days ahead. Online booking is for parties of up to six.
- Getting there: The restaurant's directions point guests to the westbound Convict Hill exit, the natural route coming from the MoPac end of US 290.
- Parking: Self-parking, plus complimentary valet.
With the closure schedule above in mind, a 5 p.m. reservation gets you there and back well before the 8 p.m. overnight lane closures begin on most weeknights.
The parts still marked "coming soon"
Escuela is opening in stages, much like the highway beside it. Campo, the second concept, is described as relaxed, family-friendly Tex-Mex barbecue cooked by a pitmaster. It will take walk-ins and seat guests outdoors among the gardens, in the grove under the trees according to the FAQ. Campo has no opening date yet. The property's private-event space, Aula, isn't booking yet either. For now there's a waitlist.
On the road, final paving and striping are expected to wrap up by the end of 2026. Campo's tables under the trees are still ahead, with no date set.
Closer to home, two other fall openings sit on routes Travis Country already uses. Fresca Palapa soft-opened in September at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., serving aguas frescas, smoothies, fruit cups and elote cups. Bun Bun Burgers, from Leona Botanical Cafe and Bar, soft-opened September 17 at 6405 Brodie Lane in Sunset Valley. Community Impact reported both.
If you'd like to talk about what the finished Y means for your corner of Travis Country, whether that's your commute, your weekends, or plans further down the road, Amy Sparks would love to hear from you. Book a Personalized Consultation, and I'll share the neighborhood insight I've gathered from watching this corridor change.
