Rotarian of the Day, J. Brown, continued his winning ways of bringing interesting speakers, who somehow always have an Aggie connection.  This week it was Richard Skopik, P.E., District Engineer for TxDOT, Waco District.  He has been with the Waco District for 13 years.  I almost forgot, he also was in the Texas A&M class of ’78.

    The Waco District oversees I-35 in 8 counties.  Four counties along I-35, Bell, Falls, McLennan and Hill Counties, were the focus of Mr. Skopik’s presentation. 

    Mr. Skopik told us that I-35 is long overdue for improvements.  Right now TxDOT is completing improvements to I-35 in Williamson County.  The focus is turning to the stretch of road from Salado to the I-35 split near Hillsboro, along with several loops.  For the most part, this improvement means expanding 2 lane roads to 4 lanes and 4 lane roads to 6 lanes which will allow more traffic flow.

    TxDOT’s ability to make the necessary improvements to I-35 and Loop 363 is directly related to the ability to fund the projects.  Consequently there are currently some projects that are fully funded and scheduled for work.  There are other projects that are partially funded, resulting in engineering work.  Other projects are still in the planning, wishing and hoping stages.

    If you travel I-35 between Temple and Austin, you see the something substantial is about to happen in the Salado, Texas area.  There are huge concrete road slabs ready and waiting.   The slabs are the harbingers of nightly lane closures, on ramp and exit ramp closures, temporary congestion and the eternal quest for six lanes of freely moving traffic along I-35.  TxDOT expects the work on the 8 mile stretch of road to be completed in 3 years.  Specifically, road construction from FM 2268 to North 2484 will start this Fall, with completion expected in the Spring of 2015.  The stretch of road from FM 2484 to U.S. 190 construction will start in the Fall of this year and will be completed in the Summer of 2014.   U.S. Federal Government stimulus funds are making this project possible.  TxDOT will take bids in April of this year, and will proceed with right-of-way acquisition.  The expected cost for this work is $135 million.

    Templites were happy to see the TxDOT South Loop 363 project at the intersection of I-35 and the South Loop 363 completed last year.  The South Loop 363 road between 57^th Street and 5^th Street is expected to be completed this summer at a cost of $27.5 million. 

     Part of the South Loop 363 project near Temple College and the Olin E. Teague Veterans Center is scheduled for completion in late-2010.  The cost of this road improvement is $7.7 million.  This particular project shows some of the complications that face TxDOT as it works to improve the flow of traffic on Texas roads.  There is a railroad underpass with which TxDOT must contend.  Indeed, Temple roots lie in the soil of railroads.  Our City’s footprint is defined by the intersection of various railroad tracks.  This makes planning the best approach to improve I-35 in Temple “interesting.”

     The next fully funded project for TxDOT is I-35 from North Loop 363 to Troy.  This project is expected to cost $192.2 million.  It is funded through Proposition 12 bond funds.  Additionally, there is funding for road improvement from North of Troy to the Woodlawn Road exit on I-35.  This road project is also expected to cost $192.2 million.  The bids for these road construction projects are expected in late 2011.  Construction should start in the Spring of 2012 with completion expected in the Summer of 2015. 

     Construction from Woodlawn Road to FM 2063 should begin in the Spring of 2012 and end in the Summer of 2015.  Farther North along I-35, there are 4 projects in various stages of work.  Construction on the road from Loop 340 to FM 1858 will begin this year and be completed on 2014.  Construction on the stretch of road from FM 1858 to FM 1304 will be started in the Fall of 2011 and be completed in the summer of 2014.  Construction on the road from FM 1304 to FM 310 will begin in the Summer of this year and end in the Summer of 2013.  The work that from FM 310 to SH 22 is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2011. 

     The upgrade of Loop 363 to Heidenheimer is to be completed in 2011 at a cost of $45.4 million.  This project exemplifies the approach that TxDOT has found successful in road funding.  Specifically, it is better to identify smaller road projects of $7-$50 million than to try to fund $100+ million projects.

     There are projects that are funded for engineering only.  They have no construction or right of way acquisition funds allocated to them, and are therefore, still in the planning stage.  There are also projects that are unfunded.

     North Loop 363 to SH 36 and Hopi Trail near the Draughon-Miller Airport in Temple is a partially funded project.  The goal is to expand that road to 4 lanes.  Planning is complete and the total cost is expected to be $100 million.  There are no funds for construction of this project.  The City of Temple hoped to obtain some “pass-through” funds from the State, however this did not come to fruition.  TxDOT is now considering breaking this project into subparts that have a more manageable cost.

     The road from U.S. 190 in Belton to Loop 363 in Temple is funded for engineering only.  The goal is to expand the lanes from 6 to 8.

     The North Loop 363/I-35 Exchange was funded for engineering, however there are no construction or right-of-way acquisition funds.  The cost of right of way is expected to be $83-84 million.  The cost of construction is expected to be $202 million.   Mr. Skopik suspects that this will be the last piece of road improvement that will go to contract.

    The South Loop 363/5^th Street to the U.S. 190 spur is not funded.  Similarly, the U.S. 190/SH 36 road from Heidenheimer to the Milam County line is not funded.  The cost for that work is estimated at $52 million. 

    There is a lot on TxDOT’s plate.  For Mr. Skopik, this means staying focused on the projects at hand which he notes is difficult in a campaign year.      Toward the end of his presentation, Mr. Skopik discussed the plans for I-35 from the South Loop 363 Exchange to the North Loop 363 Exchange through Temple.   Plans have been presented to the public, however the public process is not complete and the project is not funded.

    This particular stretch of road is quite congested and further complicated by railroad lines and aging bridges.   Mr. Skopik said ideas for this road improvement include removing elevated areas and utilizing depressed roads.  Mr. Skopik said, however, that the road may be elevated near the Wilsonart International plant.  

    Basically, TxDOT wants a plan for all road improvements that will cost effectively meet the growing traffic flow needs of Texas.  Mr. Skopik is committed to this goal and you have the sense that once he sets his talents to a task, he will see it through.