The orange and white barrels are being rolled out big time in one part of Texas due a major Interstate expansion project.

After 15 years of planning and coordination to expand one of the state’s most congested highways, the Texas Department of Transportation has broke ground on the I-35E corridor near Denton.

Dubbed 35Express, and located in one of the region’s fastest-growing areas, the 28-mile expansion will enlarge the interstate’s footprint from US 380 in Denton County to I-635 in Dallas County. Portions of the highway currently rank 33rd and 98th on Texas DOT’s list of 100 most congested roadways. Up to 210,000 vehicles per day travel the highway.

The 35Express project runs through eight cities in Denton and Dallas counties, including Denton, Corinth, Lake Dallas, Hickory Creek, Highland Village, Lewisville, Carrollton and Farmers Branch. The $4.8 billion project is being constructed in two phases, but the second phase will only be constructed when funding becomes available.

The first phase of construction is scheduled for later this month and includes the addition of north and southbound general-purpose lanes, reversible managed lanes and the expansion, reconditioning or reconstruction of multiple bridges. Phase I construction is expected to be completed by early 2017.

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