Ground Broken on Phase 1 of Texas I-35 Northeast Expansion

Work is officially underway on Phase 1 of the Interstate 35 Northeast Expansion (NEX) South project in San Antonio.

Multinational, publicly-traded construction firm Fluor Corporation recently announced its joint venture with Austin Bridge & Road – Lone Star Constructors, NEX – broke ground on the $700 million project, which Fluor was awarded in 2023. The project is forecast to be completed in early 2028.

The I-35 corridor, which serves more than 150,000 vehicles per day, will add three elevated lanes, including two mainlanes and one high-occupancy vehicle lane in each direction.

“Phase 1 of the I-35 NEX South project builds on Fluor’s more than two decades of work helping TxDOT improve safety and vehicular mobility across the state,” said Shawn West, president of Fluor’s Infrastructure business. “This project reinforces Fluor’s commitment to deliver quality infrastructure and supports economic development and commerce in Texas.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation website, the I-35 NEX Central project, the first of five I-35 NEX projects, has been under construction since June 2022. The anticipated completion date for the Central project is late 2027.

The remainder of the NEX projects, South Phase 2 & 3 as well as North, are currently under design.

In June 2018, the Texas DOT opened Interstate 35W between Fort Worth and U.S. Hwy. 287 to traffic after completing an eight-year, $1.6 billion project to expand the highway and add tolled express lanes.

The Texas DOT says the expansion project will:

• Improve safety and mobility
• Address an increase in traffic growth on I-35
• Reduce travel time
• Serve regional traffic
• Maintain existing roadbeds in place