The Texas Department of Transportation broke ground July 8 on improvements to intersections as well as entrance and exit ramps on I-35 between US 79 and SH 45 N in Round Rock.

The $28.1 million project covers a 2.3-mile stretch of the highway. Funding comes from voter-approved Proposition 1, which diverts a portion of oil and gas tax revenue from the Economic Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund, to the State Highway Fund.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by early 2019 and is expected to increase mobility and travel speeds; increase merging distance for the SH 45 northbound flyover; and increase safety by eliminating merging conflicts, according to TxDOT.

"Although it's probably fun for some to sit up on top of 45 and get a bird's-eye view of everything going on around, I don't know that they want to do it every day, so I do appreciate this project very much," Williamson County Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said at the July 8 project groundbreaking. "As our region continues to experience tremendous growth, we need these kinds of projects; they're very important."

The project will include the construction of braided ramps—where one ramp crosses over the other—on northbound I-35 between Hester's Crossing and RM 620, and officials hope it will alleviate bottleneck issues.

The northbound and southbound frontage road intersections at I-35 and US 79 will also be reconstructed, and a third left-turn lane will be added from westbound US 79 to southbound I-35, according to TxDOT.

Round Rock Mayor Alan McGraw said the project is an important step in the evolution of the I-35 corridor, which continues to be a vital regional thoroughfare.

"When they were building I-35, they felt like they were building it to the ultimate capacity that would ever be needed," McGraw said. "This road is so vital to our region from an economic standpoint. ... The project we're about to kick off is probably not the last one we're going to do."