In January 2018, the Texas Department of Transportation begins work on I-35 at US 183 to add three new direct connectors between the two highways.

An $8.1 billion plan to improve traffic congestion on I-35 throughout Hays, Travis and Williamson counties could have big results for Central Texans—but not without major headaches during years of construction. On Oct. 30 the Texas Department of Transportation unveiled its updated Mobility35 plan for Central Texas to add two additional lanes that could be tolled in each direction between Round Rock and Buda, depress the main lanes through downtown Austin, make other improvements and keep the existing number of nontolled lanes.“It will be messy, particularly downtown when we reconstruct I-35,” said Terry McCoy, Austin district engineer for TxDOT and a Georgetown resident. “We’ll do the best we can in phasing that, but there will still be some impact on the traveling public.”Planning for I-35 improvements in Central Texas began in 2011 after the Texas Legislature earmarked $300 million to improve mobility in the state’s most congested corridors. Central Texas received about $31 million of these Rider 42 funds. TxDOT released its implementation plans in 2014-15.Instead of funding the entire plan—initially calculated at $4.3 billion—TxDOT opted to fund projects piecemeal as money became available. To date, $329.8 million has been put toward nine area projects, mostly funded from voter-approved propositions 1 and 7.“Once we know how much money we have to work with, we’ll start talking about how we start putting the building blocks together,” McCoy said.If the new lanes on I-35 were to be tolled, TxDOT would face challenges in funding those lanes because funding from propositions 1 and 7 cannot be used to build tolled facilities.Additionally, in a Nov. 16 letter to the chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission —the governing board for TxDOT, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick stated he opposes TxDOT’s plans to add toll lanes on 15 projects in the Unified Transportation Plan, the agency’s 10-year plan for construction, development and planning activities.A TxDOT spokesperson said the agency is still studying additional lanes on I-35 and that those lanes could take a variety of forms.TxDOT could also apply for federal funding specifically for tolled facilities through Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, a CAMPO spokesperson said.Austin Mayor Steve Adler laid out three options he sees for funding improvements. The first is for the Texas Legislature to fund more infrastructure in the next session or to allow for public-private partnerships to leverage dollars. The third option would be for state lawmakers to step out of the way and let local jurisdictions figure out funding.“It’s a state and national project,” he said. “Everybody in all levels needs to participate.”Adler said he supports depressing the main lanes of I-35 in downtown Austin and removing the upper decks as well as capping the depressed lanes so that infrastructure, such as a park, could be built on top.“I think the city would consider raising money philanthropically or otherwise to cap a lowered I-35,” he said.Next spring, the public will have another opportunity to weigh in on the plan’s draft environment assessment that looks at the impact to the community and environment, Mobility35 Program Manager Karen Lorenzini said. That study includes moving forward on the concept to depress the main lanes from Cesar Chavez to Eighth streets as well as at 15th Street.Construction of the four additional lanes, if funded, would not begin until at least early 2021 when several other key regional projects are completed, McCoy said. This is to give travelers more options to get around Central Texas and provide reprieve from construction.The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority—which builds and oversees some area toll facilities—will complete its US 183 South toll project in 2020. That $743 million project is adding three tolled lanes in each direction on US 183 between Hwy. 290 and SH 71.The agency is also planning to build three flyover ramps between Hwy. 290 and SH 130. That project will go out for construction bids in February. And TxDOT plans to seek construction bids in December for its project to add a third lane in each direction on SH 130 between SH 45 N and SH 71.“We’re trying to set this up to where people have options,” McCoy said.Construction in downtown Austin would likely happen first, although TxDOT ultimately plans to extend the new lanes through Hays and Williamson counties McCoy said.TxDOT is still working out how to fit in four new lanes, but McCoy said in areas with the least amount of right of way, TxDOT likely would have to build two levels below ground—one level for the new lanes and one for the main lanes—to have the frontage roads and cross streets remain at surface level.“Given the magnitude of the cost you kind of have to focus where you’re going to make those improvements first, where you’re going to get the biggest bang for your buck,” he said. “If you look at where the greatest congestion is, it is in [downtown] Austin.”TxDOT is also working with Capital Metro on incorporating transit in any new lanes. Capital Metro, Austin’s transit agency, is studying transit on I-35 as part of its regional high-capacity transit plan called Project Connect. Todd Hemingson, Capital Metro’s vice president of strategic planning and development, said the agency’s original plan was to build bus stations in line with proposed toll lanes, but that likely would not happen because four new lanes would take all the right of way.“This announcement will lead us to rethinking the role of this corridor in the broader scheme of things and create a need to take a more in-depth look at alternatives for all-day frequent service with multiple connections to other routes,” Hemingson said.He said ideally any Park & Rides would need to be at least 6 miles from someone’s destination, likely downtown Austin, for people to choose to take transit over driving.Although Capital Metro is continuing planning and conversations on what type of high-capacity bus service would work on I-35, Hemingson said it is essential to offer it.“When looking at national experience and operating with alignments like this, that’s what really creates a mode shift and makes people more willing to use the bus [if these buses are] more reliable and faster,” he said.North Austin resident Miriam Moorman said she tries to avoid using I-35, and that might not change even with added lanes on I-35.“The traffic is so bad that I feel like a lot of us in North Austin, we do everything north,” she said. “We avoid downtown Austin at all cost.”Moorman said she is also worried about how construction could affect businesses located off I-35, including in the Shops at Tech Ridge, which saw the closure of one of its anchor tenants, Target, in January 2016.For one of those businesses, however, the owners are not anticipating much impact from construction, said Michael Fontaine, who co-owns Mt. Playmore.“We’re primarily a weekend facility because of the nature of being family-friendly,” he said. “It’s a destination attraction.”Fontaine said most impact will be on commuters and that other improvements TxDOT is planning at intersections, including at Parmer and Howard lanes, could help aid congestion.“It’s short-term pain, but the long-term gain is worth it,” Fontaine said. “[Traffic] is not going to get any better.”