TxDOT outlines I‑35 long‑term plan, 2001 upgrades and local signal schedule

Willie Smore, area engineer for TxDOT’s South Travis office, told the Buda City Council the agency is finishing a 46‑mile Project Environmental Linkage (PEL) study to frame long‑term improvements on I‑35 and make later schematic work faster to start.

Smore said the PEL shows a cross‑section similar to Capital Express South — keeping three general‑purpose lanes each direction and adding two managed lanes inbound and outbound — and that the PEL report should be finalized within about a year. “We’re really focused on trying to finish up the PEL study here in the next year,” he said.

Why it matters: the PEL creates a single regional vision so discrete projects — whether in Buda, Kyle, San Marcos or New Braunfels — can be pulled for design and construction when they become priorities. Smore said the long Capital Express South job will include elevated managed lanes through central Austin and expects construction through 2028.

Locally, Smore reviewed the remaining pieces of FM 2001. The 2001 East project is advanced in design and has partial construction funding; he said it is “somewhere in the neighborhood of a $20,000,000 job” with roughly half the funding committed. The 2001 Gap, the segment between Prairie Lakes and the existing 2001 alignment, has schematic approval but no construction funding yet and will require right‑of‑way and utility relocation work before it can be bid.

Smore and council also discussed a set of signal projects and local safety work. He listed three signal locations the district is pushing to install: 2001 at Firecracker, 2001 at Buda Boulevard (let‑down/bid schedule staggered January–March), and the Robert S. Light at FM 2770 intersection, which currently uses an all‑way stop but will be signalized in the long term.

Council members pressed Smore about Hillside Terrace at 2001, where existing bridge geometry and the lack of a center turn lane contributed to safety concerns. Smore said Hays County intends to bid the Hillside Terrace expansion in 2026 and the county and TxDOT are coordinating to include the center turn lane and signal work in the same contractor package.

On shorter timing questions council raised, Smore acknowledged regional supply constraints for signal hardware: “It takes about 8 months to get all the equipment in,” he said, but added that contractors sometimes accelerate delivery by reallocating materials from other jobs.

Smore closed by thanking the city and noting he’s accepted a director‑level role in TxDOT construction and will be leaving the area office.

Ending: Council asked staff to stay engaged with TxDOT on the 2001 projects, Hillside Terrace safety work and signal installation timing; staff and TxDOT will continue to coordinate on funding and schedules so utility relocations and right‑of‑way can proceed.