In Waco, four years of construction just finished on part of the interstate. The Waco Herald-Tribune reported in mid-June that the final phase of construction on Interstate 35 in Waco could start as soon as 2024.

“We thought there would be this big break in between. And, you know, I think we’re all just like, ‘Rip the band-aid off and let’s get it done,’” Baylor University assistant vice president of media and public relations Lori Fogleman said. “I think we all know our alternate routes. We know what the construction does with that, and what happens when you improve infrastructure through the city. I think we are all ready for that one last area to be done.”

But as we look further south to Austin, where a $4.5 billion dollar project is slated to begin in 2024, not everyone thinks adding more lanes is the most efficient way to go.

“A boulevard with bus lanes, bike lanes, and some car lanes would actually move a lot more people,” said Adam Greenfield, board president of the group Rethink 35, which advocates for a different use of the land. “Highways are actually very poor. Movers of large numbers of people because cars are very space inefficient. They lock up in congestion. That’s a basic-level bug that they have.”