A set of braided I-35 entry and exit ramps are set to open Thursday morning and introduce new traffic patterns for drivers after construction on the ramps began more than two years ago. The new ramps, which stretch approximately from Gattis School Road to RM 620, will help to alleviate continuing bottleneck congestion along the I-35 corridor in Round Rock, according to Williamson County Commissioner Terry Cook. "This [project], even though it's just a single lane, is still going to help a lot because the flow will so much better," Cook said Wednesday morning at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The ramps officially open to traffic Thursday morning, weather permitting. Other city and regional officials joined Cook at the ceremony, including Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan and Will Conley, executive committee chairman for Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO. "There's no more focus in our region than the obvious issue of I-35 and [CAMPO] is focused on that in a very strategic way," Conley said Wednesday. The newly-constructed I-35 ramps create completely separate traffic lanes for drivers entering and exiting the interstate roadway. Drivers looking to access I-35 northbound traffic will now enter via a ramp that is elevated above the separate exit ramp. This design, according to Texas Department of Transportation officials, eliminates merging conflicts and allows for a seamless flow of traffic going on and off I-35. TxDOT officials say this design will greatly reduce congestion times at these intersections in Round Rock, which Cook claims is one of the densest traffic areas in the entire state. From 2010 to 2016, daily traffic on I-35 through Round Rock increased by 34.8 percent, according to TxDOT data. Approximately 170,000 vehicles travel this section of I-35 on a daily basis, per McCoy. The braided ramps are part of a larger $28.1 million I-35 improvements project that includes improvements to the Hwy. 79 at I-35 intersection and constructing temporary entrance and exit ramps at RM 620 and Hesters Crossing Road. Work on the project began July 2016. All of the officials that spoke Wednesday morning stated that construction along the I-35 corridor is far from over, as the region focuses on improving access, increasing safety and clearing congestion. "In Round Rock we have about $70 million dedicated from TxDOT that's either under construction or will be in the pipeline for future construction," Morgan said Wednesday morning. "I-35 for the city of Round Rock ... is the greatest challenge for us and our economic prosperity.