From major highway milestones and congestion-relief projects to next-gen transportation technology, September brought significant progress. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is investing in a safer, more connected transportation system.
Central Texas
After three decades of planning, construction and community input, the $679 million Oak Hill Parkway project opened in September, marking the completion of one of the Austin region's most transformative transportation projects.
The Oak Hill Parkway project reconstructed the U.S. 290/State Highway 71 interchange, constructed flyovers between the major highways, added nonstop main lanes through the U.S. 290 corridor and enhanced bicycle and pedestrian accommodations to improve mobility for all users. The Texas Clear Lanes project reflects community values and transportation needs.
Construction began in 2021, and the completed project is expected to improve mobility through one of the region's most heavily traveled corridors.
San Antonio
TxDOT launched construction on a $40 million project to improve the Interstate 37 and Southeast Military Drive interchange on the southeast side of San Antonio.
The project will introduce San Antonio's second diverging diamond interchange, or DDI, a design that can improve traffic flow and safety. The project also includes a new bypass ramp, an additional southbound I-37 lane and shared-use paths for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Once complete in 2029, TxDOT estimates the project could reduce travel times on I-37 between Pecan Valley Drive and Loop 410 by 46 percent for northbound travelers and 81 percent for southbound travelers.
Meanwhile, work began on a $156 million overhaul of Loop 410 and U.S. 281 on the north side of San Antonio. The project will improve approximately 4.3 mi. of Loop 410 between West Avenue and Broadway Street, along with nearly 3 mi. of U.S. 281.
Planned improvements include ramp modifications, frontage road upgrades and intersection improvements. TxDOT expects the project to reduce crashes and cut travel times by up to 70 percent when it's set to be completed in 2029.
Dallas
In Dallas County, September marked the ceremonial completion of the $1.7 billion Interstate 635 East project.
The six-year project reconstructed and widened 11 mi. of I-635 between U.S. 75 and Interstate 30 through Dallas, Garland and Mesquite.
The project added a general-purpose lane in each direction, rebuilt the managed lanes and improved frontage roads and connections to surrounding communities.
More than 200,000 vehicles travel the corridor each day, making the project a major milestone in the state's Texas Clear Lanes effort to address congestion in the state's largest metropolitan areas.
With I-635 East complete, work continues nearby on the $540 million U.S. 80/I-635 interchange project in Mesquite, which is 43 percent complete and is expected to finish in late 2029.
Lubbock
Across the South Plains, TxDOT began a nearly $700,000 project to improve lighting and safety at seven intersections in four counties.
The improvements span locations in Lubbock, Crosby, Yoakum and Gaines counties, with most work taking place along roadway shoulders and minimal impacts expected to main lanes.
The project is scheduled for completion later this year, weather permitting.
Northeast Texas
TxDOT also moved forward with a $10.6 million project to address the shortage of safe truck parking along I-30 in Bowie County.
The project near County Road 4204 will build parking areas on both sides of the interstate, along with entrance and exit ramps, lighting and signage. The new facilities are expected to accommodate about 160 trucks.
A separate project in Titus County is adding about 22 truck parking spaces near the I-30 weigh station west of Mount Pleasant.
Together, the projects will give commercial drivers more safe, legal places to park while helping reduce the hazards created when trucks stop on highway shoulders and ramps.
Rio Grande Valley
In the Rio Grande Valley, a new Stenger Street bridge opened to traffic in San Benito in September following construction on the nearly mile-long project.
The $1.2 million project included a new crossing and a 1.1-mi., 10-ft.-wide shared-use path designed to improve connections for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The project is part of a broader $13.7 million investment involving 18 road and bridge projects across the TxDOT Pharr District.
Fort Worth
September also brought a glimpse of the future of transportation as TxDOT launched Project Nexus at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
The three-year pilot program is testing how electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, could eventually be integrated safely into Texas' transportation system.
Initial flights are focused on collecting data and validating routes rather than carrying passengers. Future phases will explore applications such as medical and cargo transportation between rural and urban communities, with passenger air-taxi service envisioned as a later phase.
The Texas pilot is part of a broader federal effort to develop advanced air mobility and establish a framework for safely integrating the technology into the nation's transportation system.
