WACO, Texas — The first phase of a major, $341 million I-35 reconstruction project has started in Waco, the Texas Department of Transportation said in a press release.
The six mile stretch of work spans from 12th Street up to North Loop 340.
TxDOT said this will be an extensive project: It's a total reconstruction of the interstate's bridges, ramps and overpasses.
Lane and ramp closures on exits like Fourth and Fifth streets in Waco will cause delays during the project. On May 1, the southbound exit ramp for the Fourth and Fifth street intersection will be permanently closed.
"The aged road, which is deteriorating as folks have seen potholes, we need to not just add capacity, but we also need to reconstruct that aging infrastructure," TxDOT spokesperson Ken Roberts said.
Some other early changes expected in Waco include:
- Beginning Sunday night, traffic will be down to two lanes while lanes are closed for re-striping and setting barrier walls
- Various short and long term closures on the southbound frontage road to get ready for construction
- Northbound off-ramp connecting the access-road bridge just north of University Parks to I-35 main lanes will be closed. Drivers will have to stay on the access road bridge and cross MLK Boulevard, then take the new on-ramp immediately north of MLK onto the interstate.
- Several streets between 12th and 17th will be blocked on the southbound at the access road. The project will convert it intro curves to connect to nearby streets for easy access. It won't be reopened directly to the access road because of safety concerns.
Follow the links below for a map of the closures:
Sometime in mid-May, more ramps at the I-35 and Business Loop U.S. 77 interchange will be closed. Traffic will use the ground-level connections to switch from one highway to the other, TxDOT said.
Traffic around Baylor will be impacted, since the closed Fourth and Fifth street exits will use the University Parks Drive exit. The pedestrian bridge on Eight Street will be demolished, and Baylor students said they're bummed about it.
"We use this bridge pretty much every day to go to class, and it's really the best way to get across the highway," Baylor student Nick Lion said. "Now, I don't know how we're going to get across the highway."
Virgil Bell can be seen blessing thousands on I-35 every day. He said the pedestrian bridge was the safest for pedestrians, and now he'll have to find another place to exalt drivers.
"Well, when one thing goes down, two or three more other places will be available for me," Bell said.
Once the bridge is down, TxDOT said access to cross the interstate will be available at Fourth and Fifth streets.
"And yes, it is going to cause headaches, but by the same token anytime we have work going on it impacts the public," Roberts said. "We want to minimize that as much as possible. That's one of the reasons to work 24 hours a day seven days a week."
TxDOT said this construction could take up to five years to complete. TxDOT also said it hopes to get the job done in 3 and a half to 4 years.
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