AUSTIN, Texas — As Texans hit the road for the holidays, new data shows where the worst traffic spots are across the Lone Star State.
Austinites know the painful crawl that awaits them along Interstate 35, but surprisingly, that’s not the worst traffic spot in Texas. That honor once again goes to our neighbors to the southeast in Houston.
The annual list compiled by Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute (TTI) shows that the stretch of I-35 from US 290 West and Ben White Boulevard to US 290 East is only the fourth most congested roadway in Texas.
According to the data from 2022, the 8-mile stretch of highway which was once the most congested roadway in Texas, has "improved" despite the highway’s congestion creating an annual cost of more than $210 million.
The data put together by TTI looked at more than 2,100 segments of traffic in Texas that cover nearly 10,000 miles. According to the data, most delays on I-35 occurred on the southbound lanes between 12 and 7 p.m. The northbound lanes also saw a big spike in congestion between 2 and 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, as TxDOT looks to expand I-35, they're also working to accommodate business and property owners who will have to move for the project.
The plan is to add lanes and other infrastructure to I-35 from US 290 to State Highway 71, in hopes of addressing traffic on the interstate. But the plan would also require 111 businesses to relocate.
Instead of forcing those business owners to fend for themselves during the relocation, TxDOT is connecting them to vacant commercial properties in Austin.
Construction on the I-35 expansion should start toward the middle of 2024. The entire project will take about eight years to finish.