Latest news with #Wheelis
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I-35 expansion project: MLK Bridge nightly closures
The Brief The MLK Bridge on I-35 will be closed nightly starting at 9 p.m. from April 14-17 Crews are preparing to demolish the bridge in the first part of the expansion project The north side of the reconstruction is expected to be complete by the end of the year AUSTIN, Texas - The MLK Bridge on I-35 will be closed nightly starting at 9 p.m. for the next three days. TxDOT crews are preparing to demolish the bridge in the first part of the I-35 Capital Express Central Project that's underway. What they're saying The multi-billion-dollar project will expand I-35 and reconstruct the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge in the process. "This is a really important intersection, and that's why we chose to start the I-35 Capital Express Central Project with this bridge reconstruction," says TxDOT spokesman Brad Wheelis. The preparation for the demolition of the MLK bridge started last October. This week, the bridge will close nightly for three days, from April 14-17. Access to the bridge will stop at 9 p.m. and it will reopen to traffic at 5 a.m. "We will be closing the MLK Bridge and some lane closures on the frontage roads and the approaches to the MLK Bridge as well. So, the crews can restripe and move barrier. This is to shift traffic to the south side of the bridge," says Wheelis. MORE STORIES: I-35 expansion: Northbound lane closures expected from April 14-17 due to construction I-35 expansion: Construction underway on Capital Express North, South projects TxDOT says the crews will work on the bridge in sections, demolishing and reconstructing the north side first. "Once that's complete, we'll move traffic to the new section of the bridge, and we'll get to work on this south side of the bridge. The reason we're doing that is to keep traffic low east and west. We want to keep that access on the MLK bridge. That's very important," he said. More closures are expected in the coming weeks when construction starts. "While we are demoing the bridge, we will not allow vehicular traffic across that bridge for safety reasons," says Wheelis. The Capital Express Central Project will: Add two non-tolled HOV lanes in each direction along I-35 from U.S. 290 East to State Highway 71 at Ben White Boulevard Lower the main lanes from Airport Boulevard to Lady Bird Lake Remove the upper decks on I-35 Improve transit connections Add boulevard-style segments through downtown "So I-35 is going to look completely different whenever the project is complete," says Wheelis. Timeline The north side of the reconstruction is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The entire MLK reconstruction will be complete by mid-2026. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Tan Radford
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I-35 expansion: Construction underway on Capital Express North, South projects
The Brief Construction is underway on TxDOT's Capital Express North and South projects During construction, there will be nightly lane closures on I-35 in April There will also be detours around the construction AUSTIN, Texas - Construction is underway on TxDOT's Capital Express North and South projects. The Capital Express North Project will be completed in early 2029, and the Capital Express South Project will be completed in late 2028. Why you should care "Starting Monday, April 7, we are going to reduce the northbound I-35 main lanes between U.S.183 and Rundberg Lane to one lane," says TXDOT Spokesman, Brad Wheelis. According to TxDOT, the closure will last through Thursday, April 10, from 11p.m. until 9 a.m. "During these nightly closures, we are also going to close the northbound U.S. 183 to northbound I-35 flyover. What folks will do is just exit to the frontage road. They'll take the Front Edge Road, hang a right and get on I-35. On the weekend, we're going to do a full main lane closure on northbound I- 35 in this same area," says Wheelis. Lanes will be completely closed from 11 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday of next weekend, April 11-12, and the following weekend, April 18-19. Drivers will be able to use the frontage road. TxDOT spokesman Brad Wheelis says the closures are for utility work on the Capital Express North project. "Both of the projects are going to add managed lanes. So, on the Capital Express North Project, we're going to add one managed lane in each direction. Those are HOV lanes. And on the south project, we're going to add two managed lanes in each direction. There are some other elements of the project, including some bridge work, including some bypass lanes and innovative intersections and such," says Wheelis. From April 11-13, the Stassney Lane Bridge over I-35 will be closed from 11 p.m. until 10 a.m. for the Capital Express North Project. The bridge will also be closed later in the month from April 25-27 from 11 p.m. until 10 a.m. The north and southbound lanes will be reduced to one lane. "The bridge is going to be closed throughout the entire weekend. The main lanes are reduced to one lane down south just at night," says Wheelis. There will also be detours around the construction. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Tan Radford
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Crashes up 22% in north Austin I-35 construction zone
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Transportation is overhauling Interstate 35 through Austin from the north side to the south side of the Travis County line. Construction began on the I-35 Capital Express North Project in March 2023. TxDOT data shows total crash numbers were higher in 2024 compared to the previous two years. According to the data, there were 727 crashes in 2022 on that stretch of I-35. In 2023, crashes dropped to 701, but in 2024, crashes went to 858, a 22% increase from the previous year. 'It's unacceptable number one, and we all need to do our part,' said TxDOT Austin Spokesperson Bradley Wheelis. 'When we look at crashes in this particular work zone, the top contributing factors are driver and attention. So people not paying attention… they've been distracted. It's following too closely and speed, those are the top contributing factors. So while we try our best to make work zones as forgivable as possible, when people make poor decisions behind the wheel, we need drivers to do their part right,' said Wheelis. Driving through a construction zone is not a smooth experience. Shifting lanes and barriers can be overwhelming, but the barriers are a necessity. 'We do everything we can to protect our workers. Many times they're behind the concrete barriers, but sometimes they have to be out there, and you've got traffic whizzing by at 60-70, miles an hour or more, because people are not paying attention to the speed limit,' Wheelis said. The CapEx North project is not slated to wrap up until 2029, so the construction zone conditions are something drivers through Austin will need to get used to. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
