Cesar Chavez Boulevard: Dangerous Highway That Runs Through Dallas Neighborhood

[ZLoth]

From D Magazine:

Cesar Chavez Boulevard: a Dangerous Highway That Runs Through a Dallas Neighborhood
The nine lane highway that for decades allowed trucks to rumble into the Farmers Market is now flanked with townhomes and apartments. The neighbors are fed up.

This road highlights a challenge seen across Dallas. As neighborhoods grow denser within its urban core, housing often goes up near old, aging infrastructure. The freeways that hug downtown Dallas rely on roads like Cesar Chavez to move cars, which means it's big and wide and invites drivers to speed. Residents whose homes face the street, particularly near its southern connection with the highway, report a bevy of quality of life issues: feeling unsafe walking and being unable to sleep or watch TV because of the noise, even moving their beds to rooms near the back of the house.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Here it is on Google Maps. While the pointer is on a East-West Spur, the main North-South Part is at Live Oak (before it becomes the North Central Expressway) to the North and Al Lipscomb Way to the South.

[Anthony_JK]

Sounds like the same people ticked off that they didn't succeed in converting I-345 to a boulevard are firing their arrows in other places.

There is a case for doing a "road diet" and "complete streets" transformation of that highway; at the very least they could expand the sidewalks to make it ADA compliable, and they could add safe bike lanes by sacrificing a lane in either direction.

Anything less than 7-lanes, however, and you may have simply diverted your traffic issues to other arterials. Which, actually, may be part of the plan to push the envelope for another shot at freeway removal.

[74/171FAN]

I thought that the relocation of US 175 would have diverted some traffic off of Cesar Chavez Blvd. 

[Chris]

This road has an interesting interchange with I-30, a fake stack (the direct connectors cross at traffic signals). It seems to predate I-45 by about 10 years, maybe that's the reason why they built overpasses for Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

Traffic count data is mostly from 2003, but shows only around 9,000 - 12,000 vehicles per day on Cesar Chavez Boulevard: https://trafficcounts.nctcog.org/trafficcount/

Street View shows an eight lane road with very little traffic.

[ZLoth]

I don't use Google's Streetview or Satellite View to judge traffic. We don't know what time or day of week the imagery was taken. However, the downtown area is a victim of decades-old design decisions combined with the constraints of the Trinity River.

[triplemultiplex]

A volleyball SPUI.  Neat-o.

[Road Hog]

A volleyball SPUI.  Neat-o.

Right next to what looks like a couple of futsal pitches at that venue on the left.

[bwana39]

I don't use Google's Streetview or Satellite View to judge traffic. We don't know what time or day of week the imagery was taken. However, the downtown area is a victim of decades-old design decisions combined with the constraints of the Trinity River.

Look at the I-30 traffic. This must have been around 6:30 or 7:00 AM on a Sunday during the summer.

[bwana39]

From D Magazine:

Cesar Chavez Boulevard: a Dangerous Highway That Runs Through a Dallas Neighborhood
The nine lane highway that for decades allowed trucks to rumble into the Farmers Market is now flanked with townhomes and apartments. The neighbors are fed up.

This road highlights a challenge seen across Dallas. As neighborhoods grow denser within its urban core, housing often goes up near old, aging infrastructure. The freeways that hug downtown Dallas rely on roads like Cesar Chavez to move cars, which means it's big and wide and invites drivers to speed. Residents whose homes face the street, particularly near its southern connection with the highway, report a bevy of quality of life issues: feeling unsafe walking and being unable to sleep or watch TV because of the noise, even moving their beds to rooms near the back of the house.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Here it is on Google Maps. While the pointer is on a East-West Spur, the main North-South Part is at Live Oak (before it becomes the North Central Expressway) to the North and Al Lipscomb Way to the South.

By the way this discussion is about the segment NORTH of I-30. South of I-30 it is a mostly industrial / heavy commercial area.  Caesar Chavez north of  I-30 is mostly apartment communities and townhomes up to  Commerce. It is also the main ingress point for heavy trucks to downtown.  We are not talking long haul or through trucks. Trucks making deliveries to downtown locations. There are literally hundreds of them each day. MOre early than late.  It could be construed as a problem. The trucks were there before the apartments.  I would not want to live there.

[bwana39]

This road has an interesting interchange with I-30, a fake stack (the direct connectors cross at traffic signals). It seems to predate I-45 by about 10 years, maybe that's the reason why they built overpasses for Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

US-75 came into downtown here until the mid-1970's. (Lamar to Commerce (I45/I-345) was opened in 1976.) RL Thornton through downtown was opened in 1957. This intersection is probably 2 decades older than I-45.

[ZLoth]

By the way this discussion is about the segment NORTH of I-30. South of I-30 it is a mostly industrial / heavy commercial area.  Caesar Chavez north of  I-30 is mostly apartment communities and townhomes up to Commerce. It is also the main ingress point for heavy trucks to downtown.  We are not talking long haul or through trucks. Trucks making deliveries to downtown locations. There are literally hundreds of them each day. MOre early than late.  It could be construed as a problem. The trucks were there before the apartments.  I would not want to live there.

If you expand out the map, you'll see the close proximity to downtown Dallas as well as the Deep Ellum district. Both have great dining and entertainment options. Both of these areas are either within walking distance or a short bus ride from the area of Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Some may even work in the area and eschew having a personal vehicle.

[sprjus4]

First, urbanists want urban freeways demolished and replaced with wide boulevards.

Now - they want wide boulevards replaced with smaller roads. What's next? Demolish all roads and replace with walking and public transit only? Actually - the answer to that is yes.

[Max Rockatansky]

"Why do you look like Cesar Romero Boulevard?"  "Because you don't know what Cesar Chavez Boulevard looks like!"

[roadman65]

I was noticing that during HOV operations that access to IH 30 EB is restricted to HOV vehicles. Yet the signs to non HOV say to use Harwood Street during those restrictions.  However, Harwood Street does not have a ramp onto EB IH 30 which makes that sign confusing.

SB Chavez at least has an alternate IH 30 shield directing you NB on Harwood. I assume there once was follow up on the NB Chavez to WB IH 30 ramp at the Harwood intersection, but was removed.


Still , how does NB Harwood get you back to the IH 30 freeway? Yes at Canton follow ups for IH 30 direct motorists once again to IH 30 only lead you Westbound on it. 

What kind of a detour is TexDOT sending drivers on?

[Some one]

First, urbanists want urban freeways demolished and replaced with wide boulevards.

Now - they want wide boulevards replaced with smaller roads. What's next? Demolish all roads and replace with walking and public transit only? Actually - the answer to that is yes.

I'm a roadgeek and I actually wouldn't mind that. Urban freeways are a blight anyway. Now, getting people to actually use and ride these alternatives is another thing though.

[intelati49]

ANYHOO..

Yeah. I agree with the boulevard comment from sprjus4. Maybe some traffic calming/beautification is warranted from the few pictures I saw in the article. But an arterial is an arterial. It's on the landowners/residents to realize where they are and react accordingly..

It's nothing worse that what I've seen for the (personal example of a urban arterial) MLK bridge approaches in STL. There are a lot worse things to worry about IMO. Sure, add it to the STIP, but it won't be more than "Let's add some trees that will die in a few years"

[Duke87]

"Why do you look like Cesar Romero Boulevard?"  "Because you don't know what Cesar Chavez Boulevard looks like!"

+1

[bwana39]

This was unlocked. If anyone has anything to add.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=34153.msg2885416#msg2885416