I35 Central expansion kicks off with MLK road closure in Austin
Dec 04, 2024
Editor's note: The above video is KXAN coverage from Oct. 30, 2024, when TxDOT hosted a groundbreaking for the Interstate 35 Capital Express Central project.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Road closures are underway as part of the Interstate 35 expansion near downtown Austin, beginning with a portion of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Texas Department of Transportation confirmed.
The northbound I-35 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bypass lane is closed now through the start of early 2025, TxDOT officials confirmed in a social media post. During that closure, northbound traffic will be detailed to the northbound I-35 frontage road.
The northbound I-35 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bypass lane is closed now through the start of early 2025, TxDOT officials confirmed in a social media post. (Courtesy Texas Department of Transportation)
TxDOT commemorated the start of construction back in late October. The $4.5 billion, eight-mile project runs between U.S. Highway 290 East and State Highway 71 and Ben White Boulevard. TxDOT is tackling the full project in multiple phases, beginning with the reconstruction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge.
That segment of work is estimated to cost around $34.4 million and is expected to wrap work in early 2026, TxDOT officials told KXAN in mid-September. Other phases to include:
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: TxDOT celebrates ‘generational’ I-35 project kickoff as protesters slam expansion
Lady Bird Lake from Holly Street to SH 71 and Ben White Boulevard: work began in late 2024 or early 2025 and wrap in 2031
Drainage tunnel underneath I-35 and Cesar Chavez Street: 2025 to 2028
CapMetro and Red Line bridges between Airport Boulevard and Fourth Street: 2026 to 2029
University area from U.S. Hwy. 290 East to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard: 2027 to 2032
Downtown from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Holly Street: 2027 to 2033
Work through the project focuses on the removal of the upper decks along the corridor, as well as expanding the highway and adding two non-tolled high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in both directions. The main lanes will be lowered between Airport Boulevard and Lady Bird Lake, and TxDOT crews will construct “boulevard-style segments” along downtown and improve pedestrian and bicycle amenities.
More project details are available online.