AUSTIN, TX — From urban highway projects in Austin and San Antonio to flood recovery and safety improvements, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has made progress on major projects, benefiting communities throughout the state.
TxDOT’s work on the I-35 Capital Express Central project — the first major redesign of the corridor since 1974 — is well underway. Crews are reconstructing the MLK bridge, advancing work on the Lady Bird Lake segment, and building the critical drainage infrastructure needed to support the lowering of the mainlanes between Holly Street and Airport Boulevard.
The project includes 6.5 miles of massive, 22-foot-diameter drainage tunnels, access shafts, and a pump station to manage stormwater before excavation begins. Two tunnel boring machines are scheduled to arrive from Germany this year. Once complete in 2033, the project is expected to significantly improve mobility, safety, and flood resilience in Austin.
TxDOT’s Amarillo District reported steady progress on five major safety and capacity projects, including:
- Widening I-27 between Amarillo and Canyon to six lanes
- Intersection and turn-lane improvements on State Loop 335
- Upgraded lighting and drainage at FM 1061 and FM 2590
- Safety enhancements on Business I-40, including shared-use paths and median barriers
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Collectively valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, the projects are aimed at improving safety, supporting growth, and reducing crashes across the region.
In San Angelo, repairs on U.S. 67/Houston Harte Expressway neared completion following flood damage caused by historic July 2025 rainfall. TxDOT replaced metal pipe culverts — installed in the 1980s — with modern concrete box culverts.
The Loop, closed since late September between Bell Street and North Oakes, is now fully reopen.
December marked a major milestone in San Antonio as TxDOT officially began construction on the $473 million U.S. 90 Expansion Project in west Bexar County. The project will widen the highway from four to six lanes, add continuous frontage roads, construct a new flyover ramp to Loop 1604, and build multiple turnaround bridges and upgraded intersections.
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Phase I, from Loop 410 to Loop 1604, is underway and expected to finish by 2030. Phase II, extending to SH 211, is expected to begin in 2027.
Another major San Antonio-area project — the FM 1518 expansion — has also continued to move forward. Crews completed portions of new lanes, shared-use paths, and utility upgrades in Schertz, with bridge widening at Woman Hollering Creek scheduled to finish by year’s end.
The $72.78 million project will ultimately reconstruct 5.6 miles of FM 1518 with wider lanes, a raised median, sidewalks, and shared-use paths, improving safety and connectivity through 2028.
