University I-35 Subcommittee Convenes Initial Meeting on Campus Communication

September 4, 2018

Contact: I35@baylor.edu
For updated information on the Waco 4B project and to sign up for TxDOT’s email and text alerts, visit www.my35.org/waco and follow TxDOT on Twitter: @TxDOTWacoPIO.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 4, 2018) – Baylor University’s campus-wide subcommittee held its first meeting on Sept. 4 to begin discussions about timely communications to faculty, staff, students, alumni and visitors on the upcoming multi-year reconstruction project on Interstate 35, which will have a significant impact on the University.

The subcommittee includes representation from critical stakeholder groups from across the University, including admissions, athletics, public safety, parking and transportation, Mayborn Museum, Hankamer School of Business and the areas of External Affairs and Media and Public Relations in the division of University marketing and communications.

The Waco 4B North project, which will begin in spring 2019, includes the 6-mile stretch of I-35 from North 340 Loop to 12th Street, with the yet-to-be-funded second phase running from 12th Street to South 340 Loop. Following the selection of a contractor in December, TxDOT is expected to release a timeline about the project in early 2019.

Since summer of 2018, Baylor representatives have been serving as part of a larger I-35 Waco Communications Steering Committee, which includes stakeholders from across the community who will be most affected by the construction. The committee’s purpose is to guide communications and outreach strategy and help distribute information on the project to various constituencies.

The Baylor I-35 subcommittee is aligning its communications plan with TxDOT’s communications efforts. At its first meeting, the subcommittee discussed the tentative I-35 construction timeline:

Project to let in December.
Contractor awarded in January 2019.
Public meeting – January/February.
Project could begin between March and May 2019.

The subcommittee has provided TxDOT with projected major event dates over the next four years, including football games, commencement, Premiere events for prospective students, move-in days and the first day of classes. The subcommittee also established a dedicated website at www.baylor.edu/I35 that will serve as a go-to site for important construction information for students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors to the campus.

Serving on the subcommittee are:

Jeremy Vickers, associate vice president, External Affairs
Lori Fogleman, assistant vice president, Media and Public Relations
Jen McCrady, associate director of admissions communications, Admissions
Becca Broaddus, publications manager, Hankamer School of Business
Rebecca Nall, assistant director of communication, Mayborn Museum
Jovan Overshown, senior associate athletics director for branding and engagement, Athletics
Henry Howard, associate athletics director for capital projects and championships, Athletics
Capt. John Kolinek, assistant chief of police, Baylor Department of Public Safety
Matt Penney, director, Parking and Transportation

TxDOT’s project website at www.My35.org/Waco provides updated information on the project, as well as ways to stay informed about construction and travel delays through email and text alerts, while TxDOT’s Twitter account, @TxDOTWacoPIO, provides real-time travel information on I-35 through Central Texas.

In addition, questions and feedback for the Baylor subcommittee can be emailed to I35@baylor.edu.