Transportation

Traffic on I-35 could be a headache this weekend, because of work at Ben White Blvd. So TxDOT is making parts of the toll road network toll-free this Saturday to relieve the stress.

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

The Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, oversees Texas transportation and is headquartered in Austin. The Texas Legislature created the organization in 1917, although the agency has had several names throughout the past century.

I-35/Ben White Closures Nearly Done?

KUT 90.5 | By Nathan Bernier

Published July 7, 2011 at 12:03 PM CDT

This illustration shows where the new connector ramps are being constructed at I-35 and Ben White Boulevard (SH-71).

As drivers cope with yet another closure around Ben White Boulevard (SH-71) and I-35 this weekend, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ben White Boulevard will be narrowed between Burleson Road and South Congress Avenue to allow one lane of traffic in each direction. Crews will hang the final steel beams supporting flyover ramps connecting the main lanes of Ben White and I-35. In addition, the southbound I-35 frontage road will be closed between the westbound and eastbound frontage roads of Ben White Boulevard.

“This is the last weekend we have to do this, and it’s possible, possible that this may be the last weekend-type closure," Texas Department of Transportation spokesman John Hurt told KUT News. "But when we start the concrete pours, it may be that we’re in a situation where we don’t want to work over traffic and we’ll need one more [closure], but I don’t know when that weekend would be.”

Hurt said the project is running ahead of schedule and should be open to traffic by the time school starts.

You can see a detailed map of the closure here.