Next Level Bike Lane Protection Arrives in Austin

Could this be the future of bike lane protection in Austin?

For the past couple of weeks, Austin Transportation and Public Works has been experimenting with a machine — known as a “slipform paver” or more informally an “extruder” — that creates concrete-protected bike lanes much faster than ever before.

While the City’s use of flexposts has enabled more miles of protected bike lanes than ever before, there’s a public appetite for more durable and aesthetically-appealing forms of protection to also be used. That’s where the extruder comes in.

Safe Streets Austin got to check out the extruder in action during its test run out on Loyola Lane, just west of Decker Lane. Having seen it for ourselves, we think this could be the future of bike infrastructure in Austin.

Check out the Loyola Lane demo…

The extruder might seen slow but it’s orders of magnitude faster than the current method of creating concrete protected bike lanes that employs pouring concrete into wooden casts and waiting for the concrete to dry. In contrast, the extruder pours concrete into a mold as the entire machine moves forward. Workers follow along to clean up rough edges but the concrete is already solid enough to stay in place without falling apart. In a situation like this where faster equals cheaper, this means concrete becomes far more viable as bike lane protection.

Cyclists enjoying part of the new stretch of concrete-protected bike lanes on Loyola Lane

The Loyola Lane installation is just a test and the City has no further extruder plans at this point. But we’re keen to see the machine back out on Austin’s streets soon.

We see a bright future for the extruder!