AUSTIN, TX Construction is starting on two projects along I-35 including at 51st Street and Oltorf Street to address congestion on one of the most congested roadway segments in Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation joins Texas Transportation Commissioner Bruce Bugg, State Senator Kirk Watson, city of Austin, Texas, Mayor Steve Adler, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board Chair Will Conley, and members of the community at the projects' groundbreaking ceremony.

Both projects received congestion relief initiative funding and will improve mobility, connectivity and safety on this highly congested corridor.

Work on the $16.5 million project at 51st Street includes untying a traffic snarl for drivers by adding a modern roundabout along the southbound frontage road, reconfiguring entrance and exit ramps, and adding a bypass lane along the interstate.

The modern roundabout design is more efficient than the existing signalized intersection, increasing traffic capacity in the intersection by 30 percent to 50 percent, resulting in reduced travel time for motorists. It is anticipated that once the project is complete, drivers will travel through the 51st Street intersection on average almost four minutes faster than they do today.

Construction on the near one-mile project is expected to begin this fall and is anticipated to be complete in early 2019. The project contractor is Capital Excavation Co.Work on the $42.6 million project at Oltorf Street includes rebuilding the Oltorf Street bridge, improving entrance/exit ramps and frontage roads, adding extended entrance/exit lanes for mainlanes and ramps, and adding north and south U-turns at Oltorf Street.

Construction on the 1.3-mile project is expected to begin this fall and is anticipated to be complete in spring 2019. The project contractor is OHL USA Inc.These projects are the first of several congestion relief projects funded by Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature.