MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — The Texas Department of Transportation will begin a major reconstruction project by 2028 to transform Business (BU) 77 from a highway into a more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly boulevard.
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The project will span from I-35, near TxDOT Waco's headquarters, to University Parks Drive and State Loop 484. The reconstruction aims to create safer crossings, improve access for local businesses and properties, and design a streetscape focused on people rather than just vehicles.
"When that roadway (Business 77) was originally built, it was serving local traffic to go to Dallas, so city to city, but now it serves more local traffic," said Jake Smith with TxDOT.
BU 77 previously served as the main highway connecting Waco to Dallas-Fort Worth. However, traffic patterns through and around Waco have changed over time with the construction of roads such as I-35, according to TxDOT.
"What we want to do with the project is replace the pavement, the bridges, and turn it into a boulevard," Smith said.
TxDOT and Waco's Metropolitan Planning Organization decided to reconstruct this portion of BU 77 due to its age and deteriorating pavement and bridge conditions.
The current roadway lacks pedestrian facilities and bicycle pathways. The new design will include shared-use paths for bicycle and pedestrian traffic while converting the road into a divided roadway.
"Right now, there are no pedestrian facilities, no pedestrian, no bicycle pathways, and right now, and so the project would not only add shared-use paths for bicycle pedestrian traffic. But it would turn the current road into a divided roadway, so you have vehicle traffic and shared use paths for bicycles and pedestrians," Smith said.
TxDOT remains in the early planning stages and does not yet have an estimated cost for the project. It says it expects construction to start in 2028.
"This project from the interstate all the way to the parks serves a good slice of Waco residents, of people around the Baylor area coming off the interstate," Smith said.
TxDOT will accept public feedback on the project until October 15. Click here to fill out an online comment form.
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