I-35 construction ‘will never conclude’ between San Antonio, Austin

It’s not breaking news that construction has been an ongoing issue for Texas Hill Country cities along I-35, it’s the center of discussion boards across social media platforms. Those in the Hill Country along I-35 have felt “like Buda, Kyle, and San Marcos have steadily become congested like Austin.” Although Williams delivered bad news to confirm many thoughts on the construction, he also shared the reasoning behind the construction. 

“The work will never conclude on Interstate 35 between Austin and San Antonio, I can say that pretty definitively,” he said. “The demand, the growth, the population, the business, the commerce, it brings that about.”

In true Texan behavior, many audience members in attendance groaned at the bad news. However, Williams went on to detail the reasoning for the construction, stating TxDOT is working to keep up with the demand.

“This region really has been and continues to be not only a hub of commerce, but a hub of the population growth that comes along with that,” Williams said. “We add 1,300 new residents every day in Texas, an extraordinary rate of growth. The demand on us is really to keep pace.”

This year TxDOT has already broken a record with $39 billion in statewide constriction projects. That total is expected to surpass $40 billion soon.

With those projects, Williams went on to share how the department has established a record number of contracts to complete the construction work. Payments to contractors are 20% to 25% higher than they were compared to a year ago.

A project included is the I-35 Northeast Expansion project, which will add 15 miles of elevated lanes along the I-35 corridor. It’s first phase, NEX Central, is already underway and will bring 9.5 miles of elevated lanes from Loop 410 North in San Antonio to FM 3009 in Schertz. Two more phases, NEX North and South, will stretch from Loop 410 South to FM 1103. 

Other elected leaders were in attendance at the summit and joined in to discuss the transportation issue in the region. Many of those highlighted the need for collaboration between local and state officials to efficiently grow into a large infrastructure. 

In the discussion, Hays County Commission Lon Shell said “The lesson is, as we continue to grow, these four counties here — Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal, and Hays — are probably going to be working more with each other than we ever have,” Shell said. “And not that we won’t still be associated with the metropolitan areas to our north and south, but I think we’ll see more that this four-county region will be a very important player.”