Christmas Wishes Come True for Central Texas Drivers

A major milestone in the rebuilding and expansion of I-35 through the Waco District was achieved Dec. 22, 2018. The highway opened to three new lanes in each direction through Troy and Bruceville-Eddy, bringing us to 60 miles of new six-lane roadway just in time for holiday travel.

That 60 miles constitutes the majority of the total 76 miles of the planned expansion begun in summer 2010. Still to be finished is the Temple project (7.6 miles still under construction) and the city of Waco (9.1 miles about to begin the process). Started in early 2014, Temple is currently expected to open to four new lanes in each direction in the summer of this year.

I-35 now enjoys 60 miles of six-lane roadway from Troy to Bruceville-Eddy. The expanded capacity will encourage economic development along the corridor (and beyond) and provide more reliable mobility for all interstate travelers.

---

Part 1 of the Waco project (5.8 miles that will also be eight lanes wide upon completion) is expected to start construction in spring 2019 and take approximately four years. Part 2 of Waco (still unfunded, with no start date planned) will cover the final 3.3 miles that will complete the transformation of "Main Street, Texas" to all-new pavement, improved access roads and ramps, and increased drainage in the 83-mile stretch from Salado to Hillsboro (several areas of which had already been expanded when the $2 billion major push began).

Although there is still work to be done before the Troy and Bruceville-Eddy projects can be called complete, travelers are already enjoying the new pavement and increased space on the newest sections of highway.

Back to Volume 9, Number 1