Most of the lanes closed around the W Hotel have been reopened. The streets were shut down due to safety concerns after glass started falling from hotel balconies.
The falling glass not only snarled traffic around the hotel and forced the closure of the W itself, for a day or two it turned the building into a site for local curiosity seekers. (OK, it was no Congress Street "Bat Bridge," but the "W" can probably count itself as the most photographed Downtown Austin building of the summer).
Second Street and Lavaca are open again. Guadalupe Street should be open by 3:00 PM Friday. Third Street, however, will remain fully closed "due to ongoing concerns over pedestrian and driver safety," according to a city press release.