Mobility committee hears extended update on I‑35 North projects, delays and multi‑year construction impacts

The Mobility Committee of the City of Denton on Jan. 29 received a detailed update on I‑35 North corridor work from John Polster of Innovative Transportation Solutions, who said Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is splitting a large contract into multiple bids and that construction across the corridor will last several years.

Polster told the committee that the project labeled “074” (referred to in the briefing as 0 7 4) — a roughly $495,000,000 package — will be broken into three separate plan sets because its total dollar amount exceeds TxDOT's preferred bid size. He said the split moved the project’s ready‑to‑let date from September to Jan. 26, a roughly four‑month shift. "When they get to projects that have these higher dollar amounts, they get fewer bidders," Polster said, adding that breaking large jobs into smaller contracts typically increases competition and yields better prices.

Why it matters: the committee was told that the restructuring will delay some letting dates but should not pause critical utility relocations. Polster said utility coordination is continuing from south to north and "those utilities are still being moved during that same time. We're not just waiting for the plans." Committee members pressed whether the plan‑breakout would slow other projects; Polster said utility relocations proceed independently of the schedule for letting design‑bid contracts.

Key schedules and costs: Polster said the separate May Hill job is a $139,000,000 contract that will let in June and that the merge project is under contract and will be in construction this summer, with a construction duration of about 56 months. He described that by the time major segments are underway "everywhere you go on 35 in Denton County is gonna look like we did during the 2012 to 2014 time frame." He also noted a near‑term project recently let on Corporate Drive (the 121 Corporate Drive job) that is another 56‑month project.

Planned design changes and traffic operations: Polster described the merge and braided ramp concepts intended to reduce lane conflicts where multiple ramps and frontage roads converge. He said the corridor will be widened to six through lanes in places and that designers are adding space for future managed/toll lanes. "From the merge to 380, we'll be building the future toll manage lanes in their future existence," he said. The team described braided ramps and separate entrance/exit structures intended to reduce weaving and improve throughput.

Related projects and funding: The committee heard that TxDOT and local partners are pursuing category‑level funding (Category 12), Commission dollars, and Council of Governments (COG) support to complete a $416,000,000‑scale project in the district; staff also said they would use some 084 money (a $116,000,000 allocation cited in the briefing) to cover cost overruns if Commission funds do not materialize. Polster said staff would know by August whether UTP (Unified Transportation Program) and Commission funding were secured for the fiscal year that begins in September.

Public outreach and traffic management: Because multiple large projects will be active at the same time, the presenter said TxDOT and local partners will expand public outreach. Polster described coordination that includes contractor‑led public involvement in design‑bid projects, business outreach and geofencing to send daily construction and traffic updates to subscribed residents and businesses. "We build the roads when the money comes, and the money never comes slowly," Polster told the committee, explaining why multiple projects often move into construction in the same period.

Airport Road / 1515 project: Polster said the Airport Road (1515) project is expected to be ready to let in December but still requires about $69,000,000 to reach letting. He said the project has right of way acquired, environmental clearance and utility work underway, improving its chances to be prioritized once construction funds are available. He also said a previous local commitment envisions returning the roadway to local control once built.

Environmental and permitting constraints: The committee also discussed the larger corridor environmental issues, including an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process for certain outer‑loop sections, and work to resolve constraints around a trestle bridge and Corps of Engineers jurisdiction. Polster said staff had two approaches: constrain the design to the existing Corps footprint to clear the majority of the corridor now, or pursue a wider footprint that would require additional Corps, Texas Parks and Wildlife and other agency coordination and more funding. He said the COG had provided $50,000,000 toward the crossing work and related stormwater management, but additional funds would be needed to implement the larger crossing and related mitigation.

What's next: Staff promised to provide committee members with schematics for braided ramps and for access at Bonnie Brae/1515, and to continue monthly coordination with TxDOT district staff. Officials urged that the city help amplify outreach to residents and businesses to reduce community impacts as the simultaneous projects move into construction.