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tRAnSPORtAtiOn
Round Rock taking steps to alleviate I-35 congestion
By JP Eichmiller
It is no secret that traffic along I-35 in Round Rock is a
problem. Rush-hour commuters are accustomed to backups
in both directions of the interstate and along the exits.
The issue is compounded by the fact the interstate is
managed by the Federal Highway Administration, and
most of the arterials connecting with it fall under the
Texas Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction—
meaning the city must receive approval from either state
or federal authorities, or sometimes both, to conduct
major roadway improvements.
“The reality is our job is to improve the mobility for
the citizens of Round Rock,” Round Rock Transportation
Director Gary Hudder said. “It’s not [commuters’] fault
that our community is made up of a network of roads that
are owned by different people. To them that is meaningless
at the end of the day. They want to get from where they
are to where they want to go to, and they don’t care who it
belongs to.”
The first step in solving the traffic issues, according to
city Transportation Department officials, was identifying
the source of the city’s congestion.
“[I-35] floated to the top of our list of problems when
we went to review the planning process a year and a half
ago,” said Chad Wood, Round Rock city traffic engineer.
“We call this the biggest problem in town because of the
ripple effect. These problems ripple out, just like a pebble
in water.”
The end result, according to the city, is traffic congestion
both on I-35 and along the roads it connects with.
“The significant traffic problems we have all of the time
are all associated with I-35,” said John Dean, Round Rock
Transportation Department planner. “You can consider
[I-35] like a spine. If your spine is hurt, everything else is
messed up as a result of it.”
When the city’s engineers began studying what was
occurring on I-35, they recognized several flaws in the
highway’s architecture. Several of the exit and entrance
Round Rock ’s I-35
‘ramp reversal’
• PROJECT •
While the I-35 corridor through Round Rock is not broken, it is
certainly in need of repair, city transportation officials said. The
first step the city has identified in alleviating the congestion is
reversing the placement of the entrance and exit ramps on I-35
between Hwy. 79 and FM 3406 and adding an additional lane to
the southbound and northbound frontage roads.
project overview:
1 Proposed northbound 3 Proposed northbound 5
I-35 exit ramp:
I-35 entrance ramp:
This ramp is intended to allow motor- This ramp allows traffic from the
ists access to more businesses along frontage road to exit before the FM
the I-35 northbound frontage road and 3406 intersection, thereby reducing
decrease congestion at FM 3406.
congestion at the stoplight.
2 Proposed northbound I-35 4 Proposed southbound
6
frontage road expansion: I-35 exit ramp:
The additional lane will allow motorists This ramp is intended to open south-
entering and exiting the frontage road bound I-35 frontage road businesses to
to use their own lane instead of being increased traffic from I-35 and reduce
forced to merge with through traffic. congestion at the Hwy. 79 intersection.
ramps were designed and put into place when Round Rock
could still be considered a rural community.
“That was great in 1975, when there was literally a tenth
of the people living in Round Rock,” Wood said. “But
when you grow tenfold, you’ve got to modernize the traffic
system, or otherwise it’s not going to work.”
The first step in the city’s plan is what is what the Transportation
Department is referring to as a “ramp reversal”
project. The idea is to switch the locations of interstate
entrance and exit ramps to better accommodate the
flow of traffic. The city’s Transportation Department has
identified four locations between Hwy. 79 and FM 3406 it
would like to redesign.
“This plan is similar to other segments of I-35 already
existing today, so this is really bringing us into compliance,”
Hudder said. “We’re hopeful this will help and
alleviate some of the congestion.”
An added benefit to the project will be the increased
access to businesses along I-35’s frontage roads. With the
current placement of the ramps, motorists exiting the
interstate bypass most of the businesses between Hwy. 79
and FM 3406. The proposed configuration will move commuters
onto the frontage roads earlier and increase traffic
to local businesses. The planned addition of a third lane to
the frontage roads should also help relieve backups at the
exits and entrances, city officials believe.
“The benefit is when you put this entrance ramp back
... all of this area now is exposed to the traffic from the
freeway,” Dean said. “Every one of these businesses (on the
frontage roads) now have access to this traffic. This ramp
configuration will allow you to exit … see businesses and
patronize them.”
The last step before moving forward with construction
is attaining consent from state and federal agencies.
“[TxDOT] has to approve it, and you have to get
approval from the Federal Highway Administration—it’s a
two-step process,” Dean said. “And it’s done to their
liking, or it is not done.”
Purpose: To ease congestion along Round Rock’s I-35 entrance and
exit ramps and open access to businesses along frontage roads
Estimated construction start date: Early 2013
Estimated time of construction: 18 months
Estimated cost: $8.5 million
I-35 ramp removals: Four—two northbound and two southbound
I-35 ramp additions: Four—two northbound and two southbound
Lane additions: Two—one each on I-35 northbound and southbound
frontage roads between Hwy. 79 and FM 3406
Proposed southbound
I-35 frontage road expansion:
The additional lane is intended to
relieve congestion caused by motorists
entering and exiting I-35.
Proposed southbound
I-35 entrance ramp:
This ramp allows motorists the opportunity
to exit the frontage road before
reaching the Hwy. 79 intersection.
Source: Round Rock transportation
department
Cracker
Barrel
Rudy’s
3406
Chuy’s
Hilton
Garden Inn
Saltgrass
Steak House
La Quinta
Country Inn &
Suites
Round Rock
West
Gattiland
IHOP
Red Roof Inn
Value Place
Existing entrance
ramp removal
Brake
Specialists
La Margarita
Existing exit
ramp removal
4
5
6
35
3
2
1
Old Settlers Blvd.
Round Rock
Auto Group
Cinemark
Movies 8
Fuddrucker’s
Texas Ave.
Best Western
Executive Inn
Sirloin
Stockade
Arby’s
79
Mays St.
YMCA
Bowman Rd.
Prudential
Texas Realty
Golden Palace
Chinese
Restaurant
Chase
Bank
Chevron
McDonald’s
NEWS | 13
Existing exit
ramp removal
Existing entrance
ramp removal
KFC
Dairy Queen
Map not to scale
Round Rock
East