Baylor University’s Family Weekend is set for this weekend, but thousands of visiting families and alumni will encounter a campus bisected by major highway construction. The Texas Department of Transportation’s My35 Waco South project has closed several direct I-35 exits and reduced lane capacity near campus, forcing travelers to rethink routes, arrival times, and parking strategies. Headlined by a Lauren Daigle concert and featuring expanded food and vendor fairs, the event expects high attendance despite the orange cones.
What’s happening on I-35 near campus
The My35 Waco South reconstruction covers a roughly three-mile stretch from South Loop 340 to 12th Street. Crews are widening mainlanes to eight lanes, rebuilding overpasses, and reconfiguring ramps—a multi-year effort that shifted traffic into new patterns earlier this year. Several northbound exits and direct connects that normally serve Baylor and McLane Stadium are closed, including key ramps near 4th/5th Street and University Parks Drive. Drivers are detoured onto frontage roads with reduced speed limits. TxDOT warns these closures will last months, while the entire project isn’t expected to finish until early 2029.
Weekend event highlights and crowd scale
Organizers have expanded this year’s lineup to create what they call a “peaceful, welcoming environment.” Friday activities start with Meet the Faculty and a Welcome Hour, followed by an evening concert by Grammy-winning artist Lauren Daigle at Foster Pavilion. Saturday is packed: the Taste of Waco food and vendor fair, a larger Marketplace with shopping, the student-run After Dark showcase, and a Baylor football game against Samford University at McLane Stadium. The university anticipates thousands of parents and families, with a heavy arrival wave Friday afternoon—smack in the middle of peak traffic.
What the closures mean for your travel plans
If you’re driving from north Texas cities like Dallas or Plano, your usual southbound I-35 approach stays open, but the construction zone near campus brings lane shifts and unpredictable slowdowns. Don’t trust GPS alone—apps may direct you to exits that are now closed. Northbound travelers from Austin or Houston face similar detours, as key downtown ramps are shut down. TxDOT advises following posted detour signs, but that often means navigating unfamiliar frontage roads. Ride-share drop-off points may also move farther from event entrances, adding walking time.
Alumni already have strategies. Elisha Dillon of Plano told the Baylor Lariat she’s leaving early Friday morning and will use backstreets once in Waco. Jeff Fair, another alum, plans to leave 30 minutes earlier than usual, leaning on 20 years of local knowledge. First-time visitors and families without that familiarity will need to do extra homework.
Accessibility and parking pressures
Construction doesn’t affect everyone equally. Families with mobility challenges or those relying on paratransit may find designated drop-off zones relocated or hard to reach. While Baylor’s parking lots near Foster Pavilion and McLane Stadium remain accessible, the routes to them may require longer walks from alternate lots. The university hasn’t detailed reserved accessible parking for this weekend, so it’s smart to contact Baylor’s Office of Accessibility and Accommodation at (254) 710-3605 or [email protected] in advance.
How we got here: a multi-year project meets a 65-year tradition
Family Weekend started in 1960 as a modest parent visit and has since ballooned into a marquee event that fuses academics, entertainment, and athletics. In recent years, Baylor has deliberately scaled up—bringing in national acts, expanding vendor footprints, and adding concurrent programming. This year’s Lauren Daigle concert is the headliner, accompanied by more food trucks and a bigger Marketplace. Event planners aim to raise the bar while preserving community connection.
On the infrastructure side, TxDOT’s My35 Waco South project broke ground out of necessity. The aging freeway was a chokepoint, and the current traffic shift began in mid-2025, directly colliding with Family Weekend. Both the city and university have published alerts and detour maps, but information is scattered across multiple platforms.
Your action plan for a smooth weekend
Check construction updates before you leave. Visit My35WacoSouth.com and TxDOT’s Waco X (formerly Twitter) feed for real-time lane closure info. Baylor also posts campus alerts on its website and via text opt-ins.
Arrive earlier than you think you need to. Alumni recommend mid-morning Friday if you can swing it. For Saturday-only visitors, leaving by 7 a.m. from Dallas or Austin helps beat game-day traffic.
Download an offline map. Cellular data often gets congested near the stadium and pavilion. Save a PDF of the campus parking map and the TxDOT detour map before hitting the road.
Pre-set meeting points with your student. Pick a recognizable building or landmark—not a parking lot that could fill up or close. This cuts down on circling and texting in traffic.
If walking distances are a concern, call Baylor’s ADA office now to request a drop-off pass or reserved spot.
What to watch for during the weekend
Traffic patterns can shift overnight, and TxDOT occasionally schedules emergency or weather-dependent work. A Sunday morning closure could catch departing families off guard. Also, the influx of e-scooters and e-bikes adds a new layer of pedestrian risk. Stick to marked walkways and avoid cutting through active construction zones. Baylor’s public safety team will have increased patrols, but personal awareness is key.
The bigger picture: future Family Weekends and the long construction timeline
This isn’t a one-year problem. The My35 project runs through at least 2028, meaning the next three Family Weekends will likely face similar—if not worse—traffic constraints. Baylor’s event planners are adapting, but families should treat Waco travel as a multi-year challenge. Permanent alternative routes, expanded shuttle services, and coordinated schedules with TxDOT are under discussion, but no formal agreements have been announced.
For this weekend, the combination of a chart-topping artist, expanded food and shopping, and a long-awaited football game should make the hassle worthwhile—provided you leave time for the unexpected. As alumna Elisha Dillon put it, “Coming back to campus always makes me happy. Baylor is such a special place to me and our family.” Thousands of others will echo that sentiment as they navigate the orange cones and detour signs to reconnect with their students.