ELLIS COUNTY – For local commuters, the short-lived pleasure of a smooth, seamless drive along the Loop 9 corridor from Red Oak to I-45 is officially a thing of the past.
What once was a convenient shortcut has devolved into a heavy, truck-laden bottleneck that regularly grinds traffic to a halt.
Beyond the daily gridlock, the toll on drivers is becoming literal; for this reporter, a fifth flying rock chip this year means leaving a dinged windshield cracked until further notice to avoid soaring replacement costs.
But this isn’t just an isolated streak of bad commuter luck – it is the direct fallout of a massive, multi-billion-dollar infrastructure boom.
Public records reveal a staggering 1,840 active construction and development filings across Ellis County, turning local roadways into an aggressive, non-stop orange-cone war zone.
To put this in perspective public records show that the main construction and development across Ellis County is led heavily by the rapid expansion in Midlothian (86+ projects), Waxahachie (63+ projects), and Red Oak (22+ projects).
MAJOR ROADWORK & TXDOT PROJECTS
I-35 and FM 664 (Ovilla Road) in Red Oak: Construction is underway on a Single-Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) and loop/frontage road connections to alleviate congestion. The northern bridge portion reached completion in summer 2026, with full project completion anticipated in late 2027. Major I-35E reconstructions across the county include a $137 million project by Flatiron (roughly 40% complete) and smaller regional overlays.
Loop 9 Corridor: Active construction and development continue on Loop 9, which aims to connect US 67, I-35E, and I-45 as an outer southern DFW loop (with segments nearing completion or in active phases).
LOCAL & COUNTY ROAD CLOSURES
North Ebenezer Road at Bone Branch culverts: Closed indefinitely starting August 31, 2026, by Ellis County Precinct 1 with local detours in place.
Harris Rd. at Hog Creek: Closed by TxDOT for bridge/creek construction between Dillworth Rd. and Morgan Rd.
Palmyra Road at Wester Road: Recently re-opened as of late August 2026, though active work zones remain.
Other Active TxDOT Routes: Ongoing work includes projects on US 287 (near Walnut Grove and Johnson County lines), FM 916, FM 879, and SH 34.
GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS AS OF OCTOBER 2026
Data Center & Industrial Expansion: Massive digital infrastructure and data center campuses (such as a multi-building, nearly 2-gigawatt campus project near Grand Prairie/Ellis County) are moving through phases with initial operations launching through 2026.
County Facilities & Infrastructure: Ground has broken on the Ellis County Central Renovation project managed by Kitchell to centralize the Tax Office, Department of Development, and county engineering.
Construction is underway on a new Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace sub-courthouse near U.S. 287 Business in Waxahachie as part of the Emerging Ellis 2050 Strategic Plan.
WAXAHACHIE
Infrastructure Reconstruction: Large-scale utility and roadbed transformations are active on Old Italy Road (New High School Road), converting it from a two-lane asphalt road into a heavy-duty four-lane undivided concrete thoroughfare with a center turn lane.
Downtown Utilities: Water and sidewalk improvements are bottlenecking portions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. from Clift Street to S. Young Street, while full street reconstruction progresses on Graham Street.
FM 664 Expansion Pipeline: Initial utility prep and sanitary sewer mainline expansions are stretching along FM 664 / Ovilla Road from Marshall Road down to the US 287 Bypass corridor.
MIDLOTHIAN
Intersection Shifts: Traffic remains split at the Gilmer Road and Midlothian Road intersection project. Eastbound traffic has shifted onto newly laid permanent pavement while westbound vehicles remain on the old structure while crews finalize storm sewers.
Corridor Developments: Ground-up commercial growth is heavy around the FM 1387 and Onward Road junction to support expanding neighborhood traffic. Right-of-way acquisitions and utility relocations are ongoing for future expansions of Mockingbird Lane (Midlothian Pkwy to Walnut Grove Rd) and McAlpin Road.
RED OAK
I-35E Bottlenecks & Nightly Closures: The multi-year $137 million FM 664 Single-Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) bridge project continues to cause massive delays. TxDOT is running frequent nightly lane contractions, narrowing I-35E down to just a single lane between Bear Creek Road and Red Oak Road from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
South Lowrance Road: Recent pavement and rehabilitation works stretching down to FM 983 are entering final completion stages, with full access tracking on the Red Oak Public Works Closure Map.
ENNIS, PALMER & RURAL COUNTY PRECINCTS
I-45 At SH 34 (Ennis): Active intersection improvements, structural left/right turn bays, and signal adjustments are creating intermittent lane blocks near I-45.
FM 879 Corridor: Long-term pavement restoration and shoulder additions are under construction between I-45 and FM 813.
Rural Bridge Closures: TxDOT and county crews have indefinitely closed the 500 block of Harris Road at Hog Creek, the 600 block of Bethel Road at Frost Creek, and North Ebenezer Road at the Bone Branch culverts.
For more information visit www.txdot.gov/content/dam/docs/district/dal/projects-by-county/construction-ellis-q4-%202025.pdf