FATE, Texas — To keep up with the growing population, TxDOT is expanding Interstate 30 in Rockwall County.

“Our town is growing a lot and we’re really excited about that,” said Chief Lyle Lombard, director of public safety for the City of Fate. 

Lombard said the road expansion will help his first responders get to emergencies faster.  

“We have a lot of two-lane roads and when we have the roads blocked from the morning and evening traffic, sometimes it’s harder to get to areas of town because of the amount of traffic (that) is on the roadways,” he explained. 

Fate, Texas, is in the center of Rockwall County and in the middle of the construction.

The Texas Department of Transportation’s $334 million project will widen I-30 from six to eight lanes and expand the frontage roads. 

Lombard’s crews maneuver their way around road closures and traffic with a special first responder unit.  

“He might be the first one there because his car is a little faster, a little easier to get through the traffic,” Lombard said. 

He says it’s important the right person gets to a call quickly, and all first responders there are triple certified.

“They can do all three jobs. They’re trained as firefighters, police officers and EMTs. And so when our officers get out there, sometimes the police car is easier to maneuver through the traffic and they can get there first,” he said.

Rockwall County EMS has to work around narrow roads. 

“It’s always a challenge but a daily thing,” said Rockwall County EMS Chief Mitch Ownby. 

He believes the highway expanding will help.  

“Once it’s done, it’s going to be a real blessing, especially in the sense that now the interstate is, you know, lanes east, lanes west. And if we have a complete blockage of one of those directions to travel, then it backs up our entire city. It backs up into fate all the way to Royce City,” Ownby said.

Which can be a challenging for their first responders. The widening of the highway comes when Rockwall County has been consistently named one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation and top 10 in the state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.   

“Every time that we get larger roads and more access to things, it’s always going to improve our responses to our community,” Lombard said. 

“A little bit of a growing pain, but it will absolutely be beneficial once we’re done,” Ownby added.  

The highway expansion is planned to be completed in 2027.