John Polster, a Texas Department of Transportation representative, told the Denton City Mobility Committee on April 30 that work on the 35 North corridor remains on track for multiple “ready-to-let” dates stretching from June 2025 into 2026.

Polster said the large project at the 35 merge will be broken into multiple contracts because jobs estimated above $150 million attract fewer bidders. “We’re gonna break them up to get better competition,” he said. He added that recent very large lettings have drawn only two bidders, so TxDOT plans to run some packages concurrently to keep competition healthier.

Polster described current field activity as primarily temporary traffic work at the I‑35E/I‑35W merge — temporary ramps, frontage-road lanes and other measures to shift traffic off areas where permanent work will occur. He said many of the immediate efforts are utility relocations tied to the corridor’s Construction and State Job (CSJ) segments.

The presentation included funding and schedule detail. Polster said the Dallas District has submitted a Category 12 request for $446 million to complete a full northbound frontage-road package; the district currently has about $213 million allocated for that work. He said the statewide 10-year Unified Transportation Program (UTP) will be approved in the July–August timeframe, which will determine whether additional funding is available.

Polster also discussed right-of-way and cost estimates: he reported 55 parcels already acquired for the corridor and said about seven or eight remaining parcels need purchase in a north section before a project can be considered 100% acquired. The project team discussed a project estimate range that drew some skepticism in the room: an engineer’s estimate of $1.2 billion for a section was cited, while Polster noted that earlier large projects had come in higher than their estimates — for example a merge job estimated near $440 million ultimately bid at $550 million.

Committee members requested more public-facing visuals explaining what is being built, where and when. One member asked staff to compile the TxDOT narratives into an infographic or map for the city’s Discuss Denton portal and for Denton TV; staff said they would work with TxDOT’s public information officer to circulate materials in advance of heightened construction periods in June or July.

Polster said some project components would be ready to let sooner than others, and that mobilization typically occurs 60–90 days after a letting. He reiterated that many of the current activities — temporary ramps and frontage-road shifts — are intended to move traffic while crews build permanent structures.

Why it matters: the 35 corridor work includes major interchange and frontage-road construction that will reconfigure traffic flow and affect commuters and adjacent development. The committee pressed TxDOT on funding choices, bid competition, acquisition timing and public communication so residents can prepare for multi‑year construction impacts.

What’s next: the committee asked for maps and infographics tied to the June letting period and for continued coordination between city staff, TxDOT and the district public information officer.