ROUND ROCK, Texas — The drive on Interstate 35 in Round Rock should be a little easier starting Sept 6.

The Texas Department of Transportation opened a braided entrance and exit ramps along I-35 from U.S. 79 to SH 45 North.

“Nearly 177,000 vehicles travel on this segment of I-35 every day,” TxDOT Austin District Engineer Terry McCoy said. “This project is vital to helping us transform I-35 into a safer, more efficient highway.”

A braided ramp is when one ramp crosses over the other and should eliminate weaving on the mainlanes of I-35 and increase the merging distance for the SH 45 North northbound flyover to I-35, where traffic backs up during peak travel hours.

Drivers using the RM 620 Round Rock Avenue exit ramp to get off of I-35 will no longer merge with traffic entering I-35 from the Hesters Crossing entrance ramp. Instead, entering and exiting traffic will have its own dedicated ramp.

TxDOT says the improvements will enhance safety and increase mobility and travel speeds.