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US 67 and US 287 future interstate corridors south of DFW?

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motorola870:
Why have they not gone ahead and at minimum renumber or duplex US67 from I35E to Ward Road in Midlothian TX as a interstate it is completely grade separated and they have a permanent Jersey Barrier installed. Also US287 maybe has 10 to 15 miles to finish to be interstate grade. They have finished a makeshift interchange at SH360 and they are planning on removing the last traffic signal between Fort Worth and Ennis in 2019 with an interchange being constructed at walnut grove/plainview rd. I know they need to rebuild the US287 business interchange at Waxahachie on the west side as it is a left entrance ramp with no dedicated lane. To be honest if they want to extend the interstate to I35W on US67 they would have to build a bypass of Venus and Alvarado as they have a duplex setup but it is heavily developed and in Alvarado they have the original 2 lane as a business route and the reroute is a 4 lane traffic signal laden road with stores and businesses.

Bobby5280:
For the past couple or so decades Texas hasn't been very inclined at all to apply Interstate numbers to new freeways or toll roads in the state. There is the I-69 system (a pseudo-national effort), I-2 (arguably part of the I-69 effort) and the itty bitty stub of I-14. But a lot of new urban freeway and toll road projects in Texas have not gained Interstate route numbers. They've held onto US highway designations or even "toll" variants of state highways.

I would certainly like to see US-287 converted into a full blown Interstate from the I-45 interchange in Ennis all the way to I-40 in Amarillo. I personally like "I-32" for that. But chances are actually strong any conversion may just stay designated as US-287, especially if TX DOT has to scrounge up much of the funding itself.

It seems pretty clear TX DOT wants US-287 up to Interstate standards at least from I-45 at Ennis up to TX-114 at Rhome. Bare minimum it really needs to be an Interstate up to US-380 in Decatur. Past the other side of Decatur freeway upgrades to Wichita Falls and Amarillo won't be too difficult. Short freeway segments in Alvord, Sunset-Bowie, Henrietta, Iowa Park, Electra, Harrold, Oklaunion and Vernon will ease the upgrade burden. There's still several other towns along US-287 that will need new bypasses even if the entire route is never fully upgraded.

US-67 probably has less chance of gaining an Interstate designation, even if the road is completely converted to a freeway Southwest down to Cleburne. One problem is parts of the existing US-67 freeway segments are not up to current Interstate standards (narrow shoulders in some places and no shoulders on some bridges in South Dallas). On the bright side there is a decent amount of upgrade work happening (south of I-20).

motorola870:

--- Quote from: Bobby5280 on April 30, 2019, 12:53:37 AM ---For the past couple or so decades Texas hasn't been very inclined at all to apply Interstate numbers to new freeways or toll roads in the state. There is the I-69 system (a pseudo-national effort), I-2 (arguably part of the I-69 effort) and the itty bitty stub of I-14. But a lot of new urban freeway and toll road projects in Texas have not gained Interstate route numbers. They've held onto US highway designations or even "toll" variants of state highways.

I would certainly like to see US-287 converted into a full blown Interstate from the I-45 interchange in Ennis all the way to I-40 in Amarillo. I personally like "I-32" for that. But chances are actually strong any conversion may just stay designated as US-287, especially if TX DOT has to scrounge up much of the funding itself.

It seems pretty clear TX DOT wants US-287 up to Interstate standards at least from I-45 at Ennis up to TX-114 at Rhome. Bare minimum it really needs to be an Interstate up to US-380 in Decatur. Past the other side of Decatur freeway upgrades to Wichita Falls and Amarillo won't be too difficult. Short freeway segments in Alvord, Sunset-Bowie, Henrietta, Iowa Park, Electra, Harrold, Oklaunion and Vernon will ease the upgrade burden. There's still several other towns along US-287 that will need new bypasses even if the entire route is never fully upgraded.

US-67 probably has less chance of gaining an Interstate designation, even if the road is completely converted to a freeway Southwest down to Cleburne. One problem is parts of the existing US-67 freeway segments are not up to current Interstate standards (narrow shoulders in some places and no shoulders on some bridges in South Dallas). On the bright side there is a decent amount of upgrade work happening (south of I-20).

--- End quote ---

well I am thinking they will be upgrading from I20 to I35E in the next few years the road is just unsafe. Especially forcing a HOV lane down the road.

Henry:
Seeing that I-69 is set in stone (along with I-49 across the border to the east), there's not much need for an Interstate along US 287. As for US 67, I might envision this as an I-31 or I-33, but for the time being, it's fine as it is, and thus I see no need to upgrade either (with I-35 doing the job).

rte66man:

--- Quote from: Henry on April 30, 2019, 10:27:46 AM ---Seeing that I-69 is set in stone (along with I-49 across the border to the east), there's not much need for an Interstate along US 287. As for US 67, I might envision this as an I-31 or I-33, but for the time being, it's fine as it is, and thus I see no need to upgrade either (with I-35 doing the job).

--- End quote ---

IMO, 287 from where it splits off from I45 at Ennis west to Amarillo should be an interstate. The amount of truck traffic warrants it.

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