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Taking TX-366 to get onto US-75 from I-35E

Started by ZLoth, September 15, 2022, 09:14:28 AM

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ZLoth

For someone who lives (and loves) living in the DFW area, it is actually rare for me to actually head into Dallas, and rarer still to drive though Dallas. I live just north of the Dallas County line, so I'm in Dallas County fairly often, but the actual city? No.

On Tuesday, September 13th, I had to take my mother for a followup appointment after a recent procedure, and I had to go south Dallas to about US-67 and Interstate 20. This meant that the return trip was on I-35E, but a quick cut across east to US-75. That transfer is Exit 428 to Texas Route 366 AKA Woodall Rodgers Freeway. And, I now have a new least-favorite interchange, up there with the eastbound I-580 to southbound I-680 in Dublin, CA and the Arden Way to Business 80 near Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, CA. There are probably a candidate for worse interchanges, but these are ones I have personally driven on.

So, you want to cut across from Northbound I-35E to US-75 North. The recommended route, per the BGS, is exit 428, although the I-30 option is available as well, and is somewhat better. But, if you take exit 428, you find yourself stuck on a single-lane exit with a "recommended" speed of 45 MPH. Good luck if you actually get to 45 MPH on this roller coaster road. After three miles on this exit ramp, you finally get to the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, and you have ONE MILE to get to the left two lanes so that you can take US-75 north. Did I mention that at 3:30 PM, this is a highly congested freeway?

And, somehow, the Anti-Car Alliance wants to tear down I-345 which is already a very busy freeway segment that connects to Interstate 30, a major East-West route. Can I pack that group in a commuter van without water and a broken air conditioner on a hot Texas day and have them take this route several times?
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".


The Ghostbuster

Have you ever been to the Klyde Warren Park? I like the idea of building caps over depressed segments of freeways, and covering the caps with buildings and parks, if only to lessen the sensation that the freeway divides the neighborhood it passes through. As for tearing down Interstate 345, I think Dallas would be insane if they decide to do so. I would be okay with converting 345 from an elevated freeway to a depressed one (with caps if deemed necessary). However, I would oppose removing the freeway, or converting it into a boulevard.

bwana39

#2
I think TXDOT, the NCTCOG, the City of Dallas and even the freeway opponents have come to a conclusion on this. It seems workable. It doesn't seem to be nearly as contentious as the NHHIP (I-45 in Houston). It may be expensive, but there is good work being planned.

State Spur (SS) 366 the Woodall Roger Freeway is Congested ALL of the time.  The ramps on both ends are lacking to say the least. I think even the urbanists get there is nowhere to expand it. The cars off of I-345 / US75 / I-45 have to go somewhere and SS-366 isn't it. Even as much as they want new street frontage a boulevard might provide, it just will not handle the traffic.
Let's build what we need as economically as possible.

Bobby5280

Yeah, the I-35E/I-30 "Mixmaster" is not all that fun to negotiate, even with the recent re-build/expansion. Motorists really need to know their on/off ramps in advance and make lane adjustments ASAP. That's even in off-peak times. I do my best to avoid the downtown Dallas area anywhere near the morning or evening rush hours.

If I'm taking I-35E North up into the Mixmaster and headed to North Central Expressway I'll usually take I-30 over to the I-45 interchange and go up that way. If I have to use the Woodall Rodgers Freeway I'm going to be trying hard to get to the left as soon as the long ramp from I-35E enters the freeway. Only 500' past that merge point there's two lanes coming into the freeway from SB I-35E. Much of that traffic is trying really hard to shift left since those two lanes end up dumping off to Griffin Street in short order.

The left two lanes on the Woodall Rodgers Freeway split off to North Central Expressway (along with an exit ramp to Hall Street). If you stay stuck in the right two lanes it forces you onto the SB lanes of N Central going toward I-45.

Several other locations around Dallas Fort Worth have on/off ramp configurations I don't like. So many people in the DFW region drive aggressive as hell. That makes driving through a challenging interchange so much worse.

ZLoth

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 15, 2022, 12:06:29 PMHave you ever been to the Klyde Warren Park?
Only in passing. Even though I have been living in the DFW area for almost 3¾ years now, I haven't really explored the DFW area. Thanks to Covid, my workload shot through the roof, this reducing my free time. And I have dozens of places that I want to go.
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

Road Hog

The Mixmaster signage sucks going southbound from Woodall, but going northbound from 35E to 75 it's easy. Just follow the signage for "TO 75." Either direction is far superior to the I-30 "canyon."



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