On Tuesday, the Waco City Council began their work session with a presentation from the Texas Department of Transportation on three upcoming projects in Waco.
I-35 Waco South Project
The Texas Department of Transportation, or TXDOT, will begin work next year to add an additional lane in both North and Southbound directions between South Loop 340 and 12th street. Once completed, the 3-mile section of interstate will contain a total of eight lanes as well as additional updates to the frontage roads.
It will also remove the flyover connecting Valley Mills and northbound I-35.
"You’ll have widened intersections, u-turns added to every intersection, upgraded signals," Waco area engineer Clayton Zacha said.
He told the council during his presentation that the project has been awarded to James Construction for $234 million. There are additional incentives for early completion and penalties for delays.
Construction is set to begin in February with the northbound lanes.
The expansion is projected to be finished in 2029. Zacha said public engagement is an important part of the project and you can sign up for email updates at their website www.txdot.gov/my35wacosouth.
"There will also be a [communications] steering committee similar to 4B and we will also have an open house prior to breaking ground," Zacha said.
This expansion is a continuation of the My35 project. The previous phase included widening the interstate between 12th street and North Loop 340 and was completed in 2023.
Twin Bridges Project
While still in the planning phases, TXDOT is also hoping to replace and expand the Highway Six bridges over Lake Waco, commonly known as Twin Bridges.
The bidding process will begin in January and construction is planned to start in the spring or summer.
Zacha said they plan to use construction methods that delay road closure for as long as possible.
"You can put in drill shafts, column underneath and in between the existing bridges. So there’s no real traffic impact to start work," he said. "That’ll let us build as much as we can without those impacts."
When construction does begin, traffic will be condensed to one lane in each direction until the first bridge is completed.
The final construction will cost an estimated $71 million and result in connected bridges. Waco District Engineer Stanley Swiatek jokes this could be problematic for the name.
"Probably the biggest problem with this project is it’s going to look like one bridge when it’s done, so it won’t be twin bridges anymore," Swiatek said.
The project is expected to last three years.
Franklin Avenue Project
Zacha also presented a plan for construction on Franklin Avenue between Waco Drive and Valley Mills.
The project includes consolidating lanes and improving intersections on Franklin Avenue to increase safety. More updates on this project will be conveyed closer to construction.
TXDOT currently plans to open bidding for this project in 2026 and construction should last two years. It is estimated to cost $45 million dollars.
As the presentation ended, Council asked if overlap of the three projects would occur.
"It’s possible," Zacha said. "We’ll communicate the impacts as best we can at that time."
The three projects will cost an estimated $350 million dollars, not including early completion incentives.
For more information about ongoing Texas Department of Transportation projects, visit www.txdot.gov/projects.
