The new one-way frontage roads on the southbound site of IH-35 are expected to be completed by fall 2013. (Photo by Veronica Gordon)
by VERONICA GORDON
Crews have started moving dirt and setting up barricades, as work begins on the new frontage roads on the southbound side of Interstate-35.
The frontage road will allow drivers to bypass the four-way stop at Center Street and Old Highway 81.
The road will feature new entrance and exit ramps improving access to the west side of Kyle. The new three-mile portion of frontage road will also help reduce congestion at the Kyle Parkway and IH-35 intersection.
The improvements also include widening the northbound and southbound frontage roads from two lanes to three, and to include a short section of new southbound frontage road. The frontage road will be converted to one-way.
Hays County voters approved the bond package in 2008 to pay for the $9.3 million project.
The road is expected to be completed by fall 2013, said Project Manager Ervin Wolfshohl of Hunter Industries in San Marcos.
“I expect it to be a fairly simple job,” Wolfshohl said. “We do have to move some utility boxes, but that shouldn’t be a big issue. We don’t expect many complications.”
Wolfshohl said the crews will keep traffic moving while working and that street closures are not expected.
“Our work won’t interfere with the traffic on IH-35,” he added.
Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson John Hurt said the construction should have minimal impact on the businesses along the route.
“Most of the time, when we’re doing construction, we still maintain business access throughout the project,” Hurt said.
Hurt also said much of the work will be done at night. The speed limit on the road will be set after the project is complete.
Wolfshohl, who has worked with Hunter for 39 years, recently oversaw a similar project on IH-35 in New Braunfels.
“This one’s a whole lot smaller,” he said. “So it should go pretty quick. Hopefully it will be a lot better for everyone when it’s done.”
