The Texas Department of Transportation is accepting public comments online until June 26 for a proposed project in Georgetown aimed at improving safety and mobility on I-35 between SE Inner Loop and RM 1431.
TxDOT officials are proposing a continuous flow intersection, or CFI, at Westinghouse Road and I-35 to fix traffic issues southbound toward Austin. In a CFI, traffic crosses to the left side of the roadway to the outer lanes to turn, according to TxDOT. The project will also involve demolishing the Westinghouse Road bridge and building an I-35 overpass over Westinghouse Road, TxDOT Public Information Officer Diann Hodges said.
“What that does is it allows more traffic to get through the intersection more safely,” Hodges said. “We’d put left-turning traffic before the intersection so that you’re not turning left in front of oncoming traffic. Oncoming traffic can keep coming straight and left turning traffic is already on the left side so it never crosses traffic that is going in the opposite direction.”
The project will also reverse the entrance and exit ramps along the southbound I-35 frontage road between SE Inner Loop and RM 1431. Additionally, bicycle and pedestrian paths will be improved.
“Anyone who has tried to either enter or exit I-35 crosses with traffic that is doing the same thing,” Hodges said. “Other people are either trying to enter as you’re trying to exit, you're trying to enter and they're trying to exit. If we reverse those entrance and exit ramps then we have much less chance of conflict among those cars. We are also making them longer, giving people more opportunity to get on or off I-35.”
Construction is anticipated to start in late 2024. Funding has not been attained for the project yet, according to Hodges. As of now, the estimated cost of the project is $107 million.
Public comment can be submitted via a few online options:
- email [email protected]
- leave a voicemail at 512-501-5451
- write Michelle Cooper, P.E., 1608 W. Sixth Street, Austin, TX
People can find materials presented during an in-person June 11 open house event at www.mobility35openhouse.com. The website provides a schematic of the project, a video that explains CFIs, a presentation and a fact sheet. All project presentations and other materials are presented in Spanish as well.
