Project description
1. I-35: The Texas Department Transportation broke ground on several projects on I-35 in 2016 as part of its $4 billion Mobility35 program to improve the highway. The state agency plans to complete standalone projects that will make a significant impact on mobility as funding becomes available.
a. 51st Street: TxDOT began construction in September on a roundabout at the southbound I-35 frontage road and East 51st Street intersection. Other improvements in the area include ramp upgrades and adding a southbound intersection bypass lane beneath the 51st Street overpass. On Jan. 8, TxDOT closed the southbound-to-northbound turnaround bridge for reconstruction. The turnaround bridge will reopen in early April. The $16.5 million project will be complete in early 2019.
b. US 79 to SH 45 N: In July, TxDOT began construction on braided ramps—where one ramp crosses over the other—to remove merging and weaving conflicts on the I-35 northbound main lanes between Hester’s Crossing Road and RM 620. An extended northbound entrance and exit lane will provide drivers with more time to accelerate and merge onto the highway. The northbound ramps between SH 45 N and RM 620 will also be modified. The northbound and southbound frontage road intersections at I-35 and US 79 will also be reconstructed, and a third left-turn lane from westbound US 79 to southbound I-35 will be added. Crews are now building retaining walls and footings for the bridge as well as widening the roadway at I-35 and US 79. The $28.1 million project will be completed in spring 2019.
c. Parmer Lane: The construction of a diverging diamond intersection—in which traffic is temporarily diverted to the left side of the roadway to facilitate better left turns and through traffic—is designed alleviate traffic congestion at the intersection of Parmer Lane and I-35. The project also includes operational improvements at the Lamar Boulevard and Parmer intersection. TxDOT anticipates starting construction on the $25 million project in late 2018.
2. Loop 360: In February 2016, TxDOT began work to add an extended entrance or exit lane to each side of Loop 360 from south of MoPac to north of Walsh Tarlton Lane. The $6.44 million project also includes adding a third left-turn lane from the northbound MoPac frontage road to northbound Loop 360. The new lanes opened in December, but final paving will not be done until this spring. The state agency is planning additional improvements to Loop 360 between MoPac and US 183 to add overpasses and underpasses at major Loop 360 intersections to eliminate traffic signals. Construction on some of those projects is several years out.
3. MoPac: The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority opened the first section of the MoPac express toll lane in October between northbound RM 2222 and Parmer. The express lane charges a variable toll based on the amount of traffic in the express and main lanes. The rest of the toll lanes between Parmer and Cesar Chavez Street will open in the first half of 2017. The project cost is $204 million.
4. 183 North: In April, the Mobility Authority received environmental clearance on the $650 million project that would add two express lanes in each direction on US 183 between SH 45 N and MoPac. A fourth nontolled general-purpose lane would also be built to correct an existing lane imbalance where lanes shift between three and four main lanes.
5. 183 South: Construction began in May on the $743 million project, which will include building two to three tolled lanes in each direction on US 183 between Hwy. 290 and SH 71 and also include three nontolled lanes in each direction with bike lanes and a shared-use path. The first phase of the project between Hwy. 290 and Techni Center Drive is anticipated to be finished in 2019 with full completion of the project in 2020.
6. Toll 183A extension: Design of the Toll 183A extension from Hero Way in Leander to Hwy. 29 near Liberty Hill kicked off in late 2016. The Mobility Authority is reviewing phasing options to add tolled lanes to the highway. Construction would take three years and is expected to begin around mid-2018. Total project costs are still being finalized.
Local Projects
Cedar Park
Anderson Mill Road realignment
Cedar Park is realigning Anderson Mill Road between RM 1431 and Lime Creek Road and constructing it as a four- and two-lane roadway. Construction began in January and is expected to last about 15 months, said Jennie Huerta, media and communications manager with the city of Cedar Park.
Timeline: January 2017-spring 2018
Cost: $7.9 million
Funding sources: city of Cedar Park
Little Elm Trail extension
The city of Cedar Park is connecting Little Elm Trail to US 183 from Lakeline Boulevard. The roadway opened in the second week of January, and construction crews will complete minor closeout work for about a month, Huerta said.
Timeline: December 2015-early 2017
Cost: $7.06 million
Funding sources: city of Cedar Park ($2.98 million); Cedar Park Community Development Corp., also known as the 4B Board ($550,000); Williamson County ($3.53 million)
Leander
Old FM 2243 widening
The city of Leander is widening Old FM 2243 from two to five lanes, including a center turn lane, between US 183 and a location west of North Lakeline Boulevard. On Jan. 10, Leander City Engineer Wayne Watts said the project is currently on schedule.
Timeline: Jan. 4, 2016-October/November 2017
Cost: $24 million (estimated)
Funding sources: city of Leander, Williamson County (50 percent or up to $9.15 million)
North Bagdad Road expansion
Construction crews will widen part of North Bagdad Road from two to five lanes between Old FM 2243 and Collaborative Way in Leander. Construction on the project could begin in February and is expected to last about 18 months.
Timeline: February 2017-August 2018
Cost: $13 million (estimated)
Funding sources: city of Leander, Williamson County
