TxDOT outlines $300M‑plus of road work for Waco, sets incentives to speed construction

TxDOT officials told the Waco City Council on Dec. 17 that three major transportation projects affecting the city are moving toward construction, together totaling more than $300 million in estimated costs and carrying built‑in contractor incentives designed to accelerate work and limit local traffic disruptions.

The most costly project is the I‑4C interstate reconstruction, for which TxDOT said James Construction won the contract in October at approximately $234,000,000. TxDOT area engineer Clayton Zacker said the tentative start date is February 2025 with a target completion of "early 2029," and that the work will rebuild intersections, add U‑turn provisions, upgrade traffic signals and reconfigure ramps.

Why it matters: The project will temporarily reduce some traffic lanes during construction. TxDOT described multiple phased incentives (and corresponding damages) tied to milestones — for example, up to $6,000,000 in early‑completion bonuses during a higher‑impact phase and additional bonuses for overall early completion — and a lane‑closure penalty framework intended to limit prolonged closures on local streets.

TxDOT also briefed the council on the Twin Bridges replacement, which will replace both bridges over Lake Waco. The agency corrected an earlier cost slide during the briefing and gave a current estimate of roughly $70,700,000. Zacker said design allows much of the work to proceed without immediate major traffic impacts by placing new structural elements between existing bridges; traffic will be reduced to single lanes at certain milestone flips and the job includes a roughly three‑year schedule and roughly $3,500,000 in incentive money tied to phases.

Finally, TxDOT described the Franklin and New Road project, an estimated $45,000,000 job with a tentative letting date in fiscal year 2026. The design consolidates main lanes and frontage roads, eliminates several conflict points where accidents were common, installs U‑turn provisions at New Road to permit safer circular movements and includes an overpass at the New Road interchange.

Council members pressed TxDOT on traffic management and communication strategies. Several council members praised the agency’s outreach during prior projects and urged the same level of transparency for the upcoming jobs — including a project website, hotline, social media channels and a steering committee that residents can use to receive updates. TxDOT confirmed it will provide schematics and signups on a public project website and said it intends to hold an open house prior to ground‑breaking.

What remains uncertain: The start dates and completion windows are tentative and depend on contractor bids; Zacker said contractors bid their own schedules and the incentives are keyed to those schedules, so actual durations may be longer or shorter than TxDOT’s targets.

Evidence: TxDOT presentation to council and related back‑and‑forth about incentives and traffic impacts (presentation began at 00:08:51; lane‑closure and incentive details 00:10:28–00:12:03).