Austin-area drivers will notice billions of dollars worth of improvements along I-35 over the next decade. While many projects are still in the planning stages, drivers are already seeing the traffic impact to their commute as TxDOT adds lanes, reconstructs bridges and makes mobility improvements to over 100 miles of road from Georgetown to San Antonio.
Quote of note
“Central Texas is a destination for a lot of folks. They come here to visit, and many come here to make a new home. And we've seen so much growth in the area all along the corridor that the infrastructure has not kept up with that growth,” said Bradley Wheelis, senior communications officer for the Texas Department of Transportation. “And so these projects are really important to mitigate congestion to improve mobility and enhance safety all along I-35. And we think that folks are going to notice the benefits of these projects once they're completed, and it will improve quality of life when you can get from work to home faster.”
The breakdown
Georgetown
Crews are adding a diverging diamond intersection, or DDI, on the Williams Drive bridge over I-35. A DDI is a safer and relatively low-cost type of interchange that allows cars to pass through busy intersections more easily by eliminating the need for making left turns toward oncoming traffic, according to TxDOT. The project is slated for completion by the end of 2023.
TxDOT is also seeking to reconstruct the overpasses at Hwy. 29, Westinghouse Road, SE Inner Loop and the Leander Road intersection. Planning is in the early stages, and more details will be released in late 2023, Wheelis said.
- Timeline: October 2020-end of 2023
- Cost: TBD
- Funding source: TxDOT
TxDOT is wrapping up its I-35 at Hwy. 79 southbound project, which will add an auxiliary lane to the I-35 southbound main lanes between Hwy. 79 and Hesters Crossing.
- Timeline: March 2022-fall 2023
- Cost: $8.4 million
- Funding source: TxDOT
I-35 Capital Express North, one of three projects to widen I-35 through Austin, broke ground in March. The project will add one high-occupancy vehicle lane in each direction between SH 45 North and Hwy. 290 East, reconstruct several bridges, add a DDI at Wells Branch Parkway, and add pedestrian and bicycle paths.
Crews are in the early stages of the project and working on paving on frontage roads, utilities and drainage.
Next year, TxDOT is slated to begin the first phase of the project, which includes installing a new center median barrier, constructing a northbound frontage road bridge over Walnut Creek, and reconstructing the Braker Lane bridge.
- Timeline: March 2023-26
- Cost: $606 million
- Funding source: TxDOT
The I-35 Capital Express Central project—which received environmental clearance Aug. 21—is expected to break ground in mid-2024. The project will add two HOV lanes in each direction on the inner sections of the highway and widen the corridor from a range of 11-18 lanes in either direction to 17-22 lanes when accounting for frontage, bypass and auxiliary roads, according to TxDOT. The plan will also sink the main highway lanes between Airport Boulevard and Lady Bird Lake as well as between Riverside Drive and Oltorf Street about 25 feet underground, remove the upper decks, and widen east-west cross-street bridges. Crews will begin reconstruction of the Lady Bird Lake bridge and the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge as well as installing a drainage tunnel.
- Timeline: mid-2024-32
- Cost: $4.5 billion
- Funding source: TxDOT
The I-35 Capital Express South project—which will reconstruct bridges, relocate and reconstruct entrance and exit ramps, and add two high-occupancy vehicle managed lanes in each direction along I-35 between Hwy. 71/Ben White Boulevard and SH 45 Southeast—is underway.
Crews are working on building elevated HOV managed lanes in the median of the corridor just south of Ben White. A long-term traffic shift is in effect south of Ben White near Stassney Lane. The reconstruction of the Onion Creek Parkway bridge is expected to begin in the fall.
- Timeline: November 2022-28
- Cost: $548 million
- Funding source: TxDOT
TxDOT is widening the bridge over Hwy. 123 as part of its I-35 at Hwy. 123 improvement project. By the fall, residents driving southbound on I-35 will notice traffic shifts, Wheelis said.
TxDOT is also working on reversing and relocating several entrance and exit ramps as well as adding extended entrance and exit lanes along the main lanes and frontage roads between Hwy. 80 and RM 12. Construction for the project is slated for completion by early 2025.
- Timeline: August 2021-early 2025
- Cost: $107 million
- Funding sources: TxDOT, Capital Metro
TxDOT is in the process of making operational improvements at the intersection of FM 725 and I-35. The construction consists of installing additional operational turn lanes by grading, building structures and surfacing the roadway. The original completion date was in September but was pushed back to March due to changes in the retaining wall design and the contractor.
- Timeline: June 2022-March 2024
- Cost: $6 million
- Funding source: Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
On Aug. 4, the left lane of the southbound frontage road of I-35 from Arcadia Drive to the bridge of Olympia Parkway was closed to build the elevated lane structures, which are part of the I-35 Northeast Expansion Central Project. During the construction, the right lane of the road will remain open, giving access to businesses along the roadway.
The $1.5 billion I-35 NEX project is part of Texas Clear Lanes and is aimed to increase mobility, reduce congestion and enhance safety for drivers. To address the traffic problem, the project will include 9.5 miles of elevated lanes with three lanes going each direction, northbound and southbound.
The frontage road lane closure is expected to take 140 days until the structures are complete in that area. Drivers are encouraged to use caution and plan for delays when traveling through the construction area.
- Timeline: TBD
- Cost: $1.5 billion
- Funding source: TBD
