Construction along I-35 through the Waco district started in 2010.
Eight years later, there are still more projects left to complete.
From Hillsboro to Salado, 46 miles of I-35 are complete. The construction for the area north of Waco to Hillsboro is complete, along with Lorena, Hewitt, Belton and Salado.
Bruceville Eddy, Troy and Temple are currently under construction.
"Currently we have 21 miles of highway construction projects, construction zones," Jodi Wheatley, Public Information Officer for TxDOT's Waco District, said.
Previous projected expansion project completion dates for those projects ranged from early 2017 to mid-2018. Now, according to TxDOT, those projects are expected to wrap up sometime between Fall 2018 and Summer 2019.
Since 2010, TxDOT has been working to expand I-35 from two lanes to three lanes.
"It's not possible to rebuild a highway and keep traffic running on it and not have inconvenience and frustration along the way," Wheatley said.
Over the years, certain projects, like Salado, saw delays, while others, like Lorena, were on time. Wheatley said there are a lot of factors that go into an estimated completion time.
"They do the best they can to estimate but you never know what you're really going to find until you get started," she said. "Trying to do so many at one time created some problems we don't usually have. Problems in getting the right away we need to build on and utilities moved out of the right away to somewhere safe."
Wheatley said they are going to have to reconstruct all of the bridges they have knocked down, too.
Just as the Bruceville Eddy and Troy projects are expected to be complete, the Waco project will start. Phase one of the Waco project is expected to be finished in 2023. Phase two does not have a completion date.
"The only guarantee you'll get is your fair share of frustration and inconvenience. But it will be temporary and once it's over it's good."
For more information on the I-35 Expansion Project, visit my35.org.
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