Public Hearing and Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment - I35E Frontage Roads, Ellis County
Skip to main content

Public Hearing and Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment - I35E Frontage Roads, Ellis County

Where:

Waxahachie Civic Center Ballrooms 1 & 2
2000 Civic Center Lane
Waxahachie, TX 75165 (Map)

When:

Monday, May 13, 2019
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Presentation at 7 p.m.

Purpose:

TxDOT proposes improvements to I-35E in Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas. The project limits extend from US 77 south of Waxahachie to US 77 north of Waxahachie, for a total distance of approximately 11 miles. This notice advises the public that a draft environmental assessment (EA) is available for public review and that TxDOT will be conducting a public hearing on the proposed project. Comments must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, May 28, 2019, to be included in the official record.

Description:

The proposed project will reconstruct and widen the existing frontage roads, convert all two-way operations to one-way operations and make all of the frontage roads continuous along the entire project. The proposed frontage roads would include a 12-foot inside lane, a 14-foot outside shared use lane with 2-foot offsets to the face of curb, provide 6-foot sidewalks throughout and provide new pedestrian bridges along US 287 east and west of I-35E. Additional improvements would include new I-35E overpasses at Lofland Drive, Butcher Road (Farm-to-Market [FM] 387), Sterrett Road; a new interchange at Hotel Drive at FM 664 (Ovilla Road) and improvements to FM 66 and FM 1446. All of the cross-street improvements would also include left- and right-turn bays along with U-Turns.  This project also proposes to build two direct connectors (in the peak hourly direction) at the US 287/I-35E interchange to relieve the current congestion at this interchange. The project would require the acquisition of approximately 33.2 acres of new right of way (ROW) and 1.1 acres of permanent drainage easements; 1.3 acres of temporary construction easements would also be required to accommodate the proposed roadway improvements. No residential or commercial property displacements or relocations would be required.

The proposed project is located within the 100-year floodplain associated with North Grove Creek, South Grove Creek, Mustang Creek, Waxahachie Creek, and some associated tributaries. The hydraulic design for the proposed project would be in accordance with current TxDOT and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) design policies and standards. It is anticipated that the proposed project would result in fill within waters of the U.S. and would require authorization by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section 404 Nationwide Permit 14. Sites 8 and 17 would require Pre-construction Notification for impacts to wetlands.

Four properties would experience direct effects by the proposed project. The proposed project would take ROW from properties that are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the project is subject to Section 4(f) coordination pursuant to 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 774.5. Effects to the resources are minimal and resulted in a finding of No Adverse Effect; however, total property takes constitute a de minimis use of the properties under Section 4(f). TxDOT will consider comments received during the environmental process before making a final Section 4(f) de minimis determination.

Special Accommodations:

TxDOT makes every reasonable effort to accommodate the needs of the public. The open house will be in English. If you have a special communication accommodation or need for an interpreter, a request can be made. If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can also be made to accommodate most needs. Please call (214) 320-4480 at least two working days prior to the meeting. Please be aware that advance notice is requested as some accommodations may require time for TxDOT to arrange.

Memorandum of Understanding:

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16, 2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.

Contact:

TxDOT Dallas District
Public Information Office
(214) 320-4480
Email

Posted April 29, 2019