The heavily traveled Interstate-35 corridor is infamous for areas of congestion; fortunately, for motorists and contractors, significant highway funding is speeding along to bring needed relief. Under current plans, the Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT) is investing more than $1 billion to widen the interstate—with more than a half billion in work under way and nearly $400 million in projects scheduled to bid this fall. The agency, which has at least another $500 million in additional work on the horizon and more in planning, has launched unprecedented outreach programs to shape the future expansion of the corridor.
After nearly five decades, I-35 needs a makeover. Calls to expand the roadway to a minimum of three lanes in each direction gained traction in the 1990s as congestion concerns rose following passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement. “Since the early 1980s we have known the traffic on I-35 between Laredo, where Texas and Mexico come together, and Gainesville, north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has seen a tremendous growth in traffic related to trade and commerce, not only for Texas but for the entire U.S.,” says John Barton, TxDOT interim deputy executive director and assistant executive director for engineering operations in Austin.