With the expansion of I-35 comes traffic and construction, and while some Central Texans might say it's okay, most are frustrated.
"It's always congested, and I never know if it's gonna be crowded or not. Honestly, if I get on it, I allow at least 15 or 20 extra minutes for a wreck or slow traffic. It's ridiculous," Austin Stecher, a lifelong I-35 traveler, said.
Stecher isn't the only one who feels that way.
"I'm really frustrated with all the traffic. The exiting just to get off for gas, it's terrible," Frank Cipriano said.
Cipriano travels for his job and these days, his commute is hard work.
"I travel all over the United States, but coming through this way it makes it harder for me to come this way to do business in Austin from Dallas," Cipriano added.
He's made the trip from Dallas to Austin about 25 times in the last few months.
"It's kind of hard to figure out when you're going to be late or early because depending on traffic, like everyone is doing the same thing, trying to guess and leave an hour early. Are they going to make it on time?" Cipriano said.
On another note, one man says locals have a slight upper hand when driving I-35 daily.
"You can figure out how to get off and take the back roads to the next exit where it's not clogged up," Ed Cosper, a resident of Temple, said.
Cosper also has some advice for his fellow drivers.
"Just learn to leave a little bit earlier."
To alleviate some of the frustration, TxDOT sends out emails, incident reports and updates their twitter and Facebook regularly to keep Central Texans in the know.
Those TxDOT notifications can keep you updated on anything from lane closures, car accidents and real-time travel times.
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