HEWITT (January 31, 2012)--As construction on the I-35 expansion south of Loop 340 in Waco came to a close, TxDOT was set to begin on another section on the highway.

Area businesses worry about trying to stay open with at least three more years of bumpy roads, lane closures, and limited signage.

For businesses like the Sleep Inn and Suites, the construction has hurt their occupancy rates because people did not want to deal with the hassle of construction.

By mid-February, crews were scheduled to begin a ten-mile expansion of the interstate between the Sun Valley exit in Hewitt and Woodlawn Road.

The $210 million dollar project would add an additional lane of traffic in each direction.

It would also make the service roads one-way and add a fly-over ramp at I-35 and Sun Valley Rd.

TxDOT says that they worked hard to keep area business and property owners informed of lane closures and when work would be done.

For more information, the state has a website,www.my35.org, about all the projects currently under construction on I-35.