I-35 Expansion: Texas' Growing Pains

0:00It's April 2, I'm Cory with the story, and this is El Paso News today, your AI-powered local news. Texas drivers hitting Interstate 35 this summer should brace for delays and backups. Road crews are hustling to fix up the highway and expanded amid the state's booming population, which grows by about 1,500 folks. Daily, history backs this up big time. At Baylor University, Professor Sloan runs the state's top oral history institute, and they've got recordings showing how I-35 has shaped. Waco and Beyonce stay one. Folks back then griped about the same traffic headaches we face now. Texans aren't shy about venting on this. It's the spine of the state, slicing through packed cities like Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Waco, right by campuses and homes. No escaping it when growth keeps piling on. TX DOTs pushing major fixes, like the Capitol Express in Austin, where they're drilling down to make room since there's no space to spread out.

1:01Sideways. Similar expansions hit San Antonio, Waco, Dallas, and up near Oklahoma, aiming for at least three lanes each way everywhere right now, about 41. Percent fall short. They're even eyeing tech like self-driving cars for future tweaks. Bottom line, a-35's tail of construction and growing pains ain't over. It's just wrapping up as Texas keeps expanding right alongside it.