My35 Waco South

I-35 Waco South

S Loop 340 to 12th Street - Waco, Texas

Plan ahead: I-35 mainlane closures set to begin Friday night

As part of the My35 Waco South construction project, crews will remove the South Valley Mills Drive direct connect to northbound I-35 beginning on Friday night. Work is anticipated to take approximately 24 hours to complete. The removal of the existing flyover is a major project milestone that will prepare the area for construction of the future Diverging Diamond Intersection (DDI).

Valley Mills Diagram

I-35 mainlane closures

All I-35 mainlanes between New Road and 12th Street
North and southbound I-35 mainlane reductions between:
- Sun Valley Boulevard and New Road
- North Loop 340 and 18th Street

East and westbound closures

Irving Lee Street / Primrose Drive
- To remain closed until Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026
- Iriving Lee Street / Primrose Drive Diagram
Valley Mills Drive (to & from the Traffic Circle)
17th & 18th Streets
New Road to remain open

Traffic routes

Local northbound traffic: Exit after New Road and use the newly reconstructed northbound frontage road to bypass the Waco Traffic Circle before re-entering the northbound I-35 mainlanes at 12th Street.

Local southbound traffic: Exit at Exit 333A (Valley Mills Drive / La Salle Avenue), use the southbound frontage road, and re-enter the southbound I-35 mainlanes after Irving Lee Street.

Through-traffic: Motorists are highly encouraged to use Loop 340, SH 6, or US-77 BUS as alternate routes through Waco.

Law enforcement officers will be stationed at key intersections to help manage traffic during the closure. Motorists should slow down, plan ahead, and follow all posted signage.

Overview

I-35 serves as a major north/south thoroughfare and is a critical roadway for delivering goods, services, and people into the Waco region and across the state. The I-35 Waco South construction project is part of the larger My35 effort to improve safety and mobility along the I-35 from Laredo to Gainesville.

Construction for the I-35 Waco South project will tie into the completed My35 Waco construction project at 12th Street and carry improvements through the area to S Loop 340.

Need and purpose

Improve safety and mobility
Reduce congestion and increase traffic capacity
Improve accessibility for multi-modal transportation options

Project description

The I-35 Waco South project will upgrade approximately three miles of I-35 mainlanes and frontage roads from S Loop 340 to 12th Street. Utility and drainage upgrades will be made along the corridor, and other improvements include:

Reconstructing and widening mainlanes from six lanes to eight lanes (four lanes in each direction)
Reconstructing overpasses and frontage roads, extending frontage roads where discontinuous, re-aligning ramps and adding sidewalks
Updating access roads and access points from local streets, on-and-off ramp configuration and placement, build new bridges and improve traffic control
Construct an innovative Diverging Diamond Intersection at I-35 and Valley Mills Drive
Realign ramps and add sidewalks