I-35 work progressing at Williams Drive and in Round Rock

Two ongoing Texas Department of Transportation road projects along Interstate 35 in Williamson County could wrap up by the middle of next year, according to the latest quarterly update by TxDOT.

Diverging diamond at Williams Drive

TxDOT continues creating a diverging diamond intersection at Williams Drive and I-35. With a goal of reducing travel times through the area, diverging diamonds allow some motorists to bypass the intersection without stopping and reduces the number of light cycles needed to move traffic.

Ongoing work includes reconstructing I-35 frontage roads, creating bypass lanes under the Williams Drive bridge and building u-turn and main lane bridges to accommodate the diamond orientation above the highway. The northbound frontage road is also being extended to Lakeway Drive.

“In recent months, crews have been making progress on the widening and reconstruction of ramps along the southbound I-35 frontage road between NE Inner Loop and Williams Drive,” TxDOT wrote in an update.

Once main construction is finished, Tx-DOT will reconstruct driveways, repave frontage roads and install new lighting in the area. Bicycle and pedestrian shared-use paths will also be built.

The $61.7 million project — funded by TxDOT and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization — broke ground in 2020 and could be finished by the middle of next year, according to TxDOT. The contractor for the project is J.D. Abrams L.P.

I-35 reconstruction in Round Rock

Additional work on I-35 spans from U.S. 79 to the State Highway 45 interchange, in an effort to reduce persistent southbound traffic in the area caused by merging lanes.

The project will construct a new auxiliary lane to “remove merge conflicts on the southbound I-35 main lanes” between Ranch to Market Road 620 and Hesters Crossing, according to TxDOT. The interstate’s center median will also be shifted and the roadway’s main lanes restriped.

“If you’ve driven on this section of I-35, you know it backs up at all hours of the day,” Tucker Ferguson, Tx-DOT Austin district engineer, said earlier this year. “This project should eliminate merging conflicts, while addressing congestion and improving safety and mobility along this portion of the highway in Williamson County.”

Work in recent months included removing concrete barriers from the center median along I-35. TxDOT is also installing wrong-way-driver detection systems, lighting and drainage infrastructure. The project could be completed in early 2023.

The work is part of the Texas Clear Lanes program, a statewide effort to reduce congestion at intersections along Texas interstates. The project has a $8.4 million price tag. J.D. Abrams L.P. is the contractor for the program.