The new flyover bridge at U.S. Highway 290 and MoPac Expressway opened Wednesday morning.

The flyover connects westbound U.S. 290 with Southbound MoPac and compliments another flyover going in the opposite direction.

Transportation experts say this should mean less bottle-necking, air pollution, and fuel consumption. Commuters who use the flyover could shave about 8 minutes off of their drive, experts said.

That’s welcome news for the 30,000 drivers expected to cross the flyover daily.

"Within a number of years, a few years hopefully, our citizens in far West Austin will be able to go from Oak Hill all the way to the airport and beyond without stopping at signals," Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar said.

The City of Austin has paid about $9 million for the project, but 80 percent of that will be reimbursed by the state over the next 10 to 15 years.