SAN ANTONIO — The Texas Department of Transportation is working on a new $1.5 billion project. It’s called I-35 NEX and it stands for North East Expansion. It’s meant to make your drive a lot easier.
TxDOT broke ground on the central part of the project in May. But the real construction won’t start until later this summer.
When it begins, 9.5 miles of elevated lanes will be added to the I-35/Loop 410 North interchange to FM-3009.
“There'll be three lanes in each direction with one HOV lane in both directions,” said TxDOT spokesperson Laura Lopez.
Lopez said this construction is part of the Texas Clear Lanes project. It’s a statewide strategic plan to provide congestion relief through non-tolled roads. It’s focused on five major metro areas including Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
“I-35 is one of that of Texas' most congested roadways in the state, which makes the I-35 project a very crucial part of this initiative,” Lopez said.
Once all parts of the project are complete, Lopez said it will cover three counties: Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe.
“It is a 20-mile project that is from North Walters Street to FM 1103,” Lopez said.
While construction may temporarily slow you down, Lopez said it will speed things up for you in the future.
“We anticipate the travel savings of 42% to 68% depending on which direction they are going to be driving on,” Lopez said.
Construction is expected to be completed by 2027.
To learn more about I-35 NEX, click here.