New Options for Waco-Only Traveler Information

Staying informed about the new Waco construction project just got easier. Project 4B has started, and TxDOT has established:

• a brand-new telephone hotline,
• an email address where you can send specific questions about the project and sign up for regular updates on planned construction closures and other changes that come directly to your inbox, and
• a text-messaging service to provide information about unexpected closures on I-35 (crashes or other problems that slow traffic on I-35).

"Not only has the Waco work begun, the majority of the other projects along the 80-mile construction corridor are coming to an end," explains I-35 Information Officer Jodi Wheatley. "It's really allowed us to offer more choices for motorists who want specific information about just the work that's under way in Waco, and how that might impact them."

For example, motorists can call the new hotline, 254-313-WACO (9226). All questions about the project are welcomed. But if it's easier, you can put those questions in an email, and send it to My35Waco@txdot.gov. If you are a Twitter user, the feed @TxDOTWacoPIO provides information on Waco construction and other projects in the district. Or you can get construction information the old-fashioned way: by visiting the Waco webpage.

"A lot of the I-35 motorists traveling through Waco are local residents just trying to get through the construction. And that's why we wanted to add a feed that reports just Waco info," Wheatley says. "They can still receive the entire corridor feeds, but we wanted to give motorists a choice, if they didn't want or need the broader information."

In addition to the new Waco-specific hot line, email address and existing twitter feed, new users of the traveler information can sign up for text messages. Click on the Waco tab and sign up for the new Waco-only text message service to get alerts about traffic incidents and other unplanned closures or problems, or for another part or all of I-35 in the Waco District.

"I want to remind motorists that are new to the traveler information service — especially those that sign up for text messages — to please make sure you are safe before reading those texts. If you are traveling, drive to a location off the roadway and away from traffic, before you attempt to read them. We obviously want all motorists to be free from distractions," she says. "And there is no setup for responding to a text message — there is no one on the other end to respond to a question or comment."

Back to Volume 9, Number 5