Massive I-35 reconstruction project to begin this fall
AUSTIN, Texas - Brace yourself, the first phase of the massive I-35 reconstruction begins this fall. For those thinking MetroRail trains will help avoid the mess, it's also time to re-calculate that route.
In October, TxDOT will begin rebuilding the Martin Luther King Junior bridge over I-35. The $33 million project is needed to prepare for a wider roadway through downtown Austin. Following that, construction will start taking place in the core of Austin.
Work on a new bridge over Lady Bird Lake and a new drainage tunnel will start in early 2025. In 2026, the MetroRail line into downtown, near 4th Street, will be dug up. That expansion work will shut down the last leg of the Red Line into downtown.
READ MORE: I-35 expansion project: Austin City Council members' efforts to delay construction fail
During the typical workday, about 1,700 commuters ride MetroRail trains into Austin, but with the re-construction of I-35, a section of rail, between 4th and 5th Streets, is slated to be dug up. As a result, Plaza Saltillo will be the end of the line, according to CapMetro's Chief Operating Officer Andy Skabowski.
"It's going to require for anywhere from 12 to 18 months that our customers get off at a station before that and end up taking a bus for that short little ride into town," said Skabowski.
The Red Line rail line detour was initially scheduled to start in April 2025, but the schedule has slipped to early 2026.
It’s an example of how the entire I-35 project is complicated, especially in the core part of downtown where the Red Line is located.
"Anytime you dig in any part of the country, sometimes you just don't know what's underneath there, and so we're talking about major excavation, where TxDOT is going to be digging in areas that maybe hasn't been touched in decades, if not longer. And then the other thing is, just the overall depth and the penetration of that," said Dave Kubicek, CapMetro’s Executive VP for Capital Construction.
Connector buses for train riders to get them into downtown may be located at the MLK Station or at Plaza Saltillo. A decision as to which location will be used has not yet been made.
"It's going to add a little bit of time to the commute, but it's I don't think it's, you know, a decision to take the train or not. It's just, you know, an inconvenience for a period of time. I mean, for a better end goal," said Skabowski.
A section of track that goes under I-35, near the Hancock Center, will also be replaced. An elevated bridge similar to one that goes over SH-45 will be built. Construction is to be done in phases. That will allow trains to keep on rolling into east Austin. This plan includes building a rail crossing at Riverside for Project Connect; a big reason why the CapMetro part of the I-35 project is estimated at $228 million.
FOX 7 was told TxDOT will pay the bill and CapMetro is going to get an added benefit out of it.
"In the TxDOT area, they're going to add a second track for us and then that's going to allow for CapMetro an opportunity in the future, you know, as funding becomes available, and we look at things to potentially add another second track, you know, heading into the downtown area," said Kubicek.
A larger reconfiguration of bus routes into downtown is expected. It could give commuters more options on navigating around the I-35 construction.
"That thought process and understanding is going to be occurring over the next year or so to really understand what we can do, what would work and how we can best make sure that customers are aware of it and that communications are being pushed out onto that to that effect," said Skabowski.
The total cost for the I-35 Central Express is currently estimated at $4.5 billion according to TxDOT.
I-35 Central Express Timeline & Links: