Austin drivers, get ready to make room for some new road construction on North I-35. Today TxDOT officially broke ground on its Capital Express North Project. This will cover I-35 from US 290 East near Capital Plaza up to SH 45 in Round Rock.
This project will add an HOV lane in each direction. It will also replace 6 bridges and add a diverging diamond intersection at Wells Branch Parkway. And it will rebuild on and off ramps and bypass lanes, and add shared-use paths along the way.
The complaints about the new project may sound familiar. Adam Greenfield, executive director of Rethink 35 says, “Widening highways just encourages more driving and makes congestion worse, and we saw that most infamously with the Katy Freeway in Houston."
The group Rethink 35 protested plans for the central portion of the Capital Express back in 2021. Back then Greenfield said, “It's time to remove I-35 through downtown Austin altogether and replace it with a boulevard with homes, businesses, and music venues."
And the answer from TxDOT about widening the road hasn't changed. They say the need is there now, and it's growing. District Engineer Tucker Ferguson explains, “I-35 carries approximately 200,000 vehicles in various locations today and with the population of our region expected to double in the next 20 to 25 years we are planning for the future.”
And as for suggestions to shift through traffic from I-35 over to the SH 130 toll road, TxDOT’s response is also the same. “SH 130 is already an alternative for much of the traffic,” says Ferguson, “However, approximately 82% of the traffic using i-35 has a destination either starting or ending somewhere in the downtown core.”
The Capital Express North Project won't be finished until 2028. So, it promises to keep both sides of the debate busy for years to come.