Temple – State Representative Dianne White Delisi announced that the Texas Department of Public Transportation (TxDOT) has approved a $68.4 million contract to construct the new interchange for IH-35 and Loop 363 in Temple.


"Today the Texas Transportation Commission in Austin approved the agenda item that jumpstarts the expansion work on IH-35," Delisi stated. "This multi-million dollar project is an important step that will begin to secure three lanes in each direction with continuous one-way frontage roads on both sides for the mobility and safety of my constituents."


Delisi stressed that this has been a team effort with both her fellow elected officials in Bell County and the Texas Transportation Commission.


"This project is the culmination of a decade of work on my part in the legislature. It is teamwork that has made the difference," Delisi said. "I have had wonderful support on the IH-35 initiatives from Richard Skopik and John Obr at TxDOT, the Bell County judge and commissioner's court, and our mayors up and down the highway. IH-35 is one of the main arteries for commerce for our nation and it must have the added capacity it needs to keep up with our growing Texas economy."


"It was important for me to maintain a productive relationship with TxDOT because hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements that are currently slated for IH-35 in the next years will require additional teamwork," Delisi continued. "I recognize that the primary transportation goal for Central Texas has to be additional capacity for IH-35."


Delisi has been active in promoting IH-35 expansion during her entire legislative career. This includes service in 1999 as the founder and chairman of the IH-35 Legislative Task Force, a joint House and Senate work group made up of members whose districts were contiguous to IH-35. Delisi led the task force for two legislative sessions.


"As chairman of the IH-35 Legislative Task Force, I worked to raise awareness of the preeminence of IH-35 to our Texas Economy and as the necessary lifeline of economic development to our local cities of Temple, Salado, Belton, Troy, and the connecting cities of Nolanville, Harker Heights, and Killeen," Delisi stated.


"Additionally, IH-35 produces prosperity not just for the cities and towns along it in Central Texas, but also for the country. It is our primary trade route and it must keep pace with the demands our U.S. economy places upon it," Delisi added.


"Three lanes on either side with continuous one-way frontage roads gives us ten lanes of capacity," Delisi concluded. "This is what we need for Central Texas and this project moves us closer to that goal."

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