by JEN BIUNDO

It’s been a rough homebound commute in the last week for Kyle residents who work in Austin, and the drive isn’t set to get any easier for another month.

In preparation for construction of a new overpass at CR 210 (Dry Hole Road), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has shut down the inside interstate lanes in front of the Kyle Home Depot, leading to miles of evening rush hour gridlock. Work crews are set up in the interstate median building columns for the new overpass.

TxDOT officials are aware of the traffic snarls resulting from the construction work, said department spokesperson Marcus Cooper.

“We’ve gotten a lot of calls on it,” Cooper said. “Folks will have to expect delays. It goes with the territory. Anytime you build anything in the median there’s going to be tie ups.”

The lanes will not be reopened until mid to late December, Cooper said.

The work is part of a two-year construction project that will replace the CR 210 overpass, build continuous access roads through Kyle, convert the access roads from two-way to one way between FM 2001 to RM 1626 and reposition on and off ramps.

The Kyle and Buda Fire Departments have responded to a number of fender benders resulting from the gridlock, said Buda Fire Chief Clay Huckaby. The minor accidents exacerbate the traffic snarls.