Bids opened for SH 114 main lanes west of Roanoke

[MaxConcrete]

The overpass at US 377 in Roanoke recently opened, and now work is proceeding on the freeway section to the west.

http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/cmd/cserve/bidtab/04043001.htm

This will add around 2 miles of main lanes, stopping about half a mile east of I-35W. I'm not aware of any imminent plans to bring the main lanes across I-35W, so that intersection will be the next big choke point for a while.

The pavement width in each direction is 48 feet, sufficient for 4 lanes, but one lane is designed as "Future lane" so this will initially be 3x3.

Looking at today's bid openings, just about all the large projects are at or below estimate. (Only one project in east Texas is above.) This suggests that the inflationary surge in highway costs may be over.
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/cmd/cserve/bidtab/sc202304.htm

County:   DENTON   Let Date:   04/04/23
Type:   CONSTRUCT NEW ROADWAY LANES   Seq No:   3001
Time:   0 X   Project ID:   C 353-2-37
Highway:   SH 114   Contract #:   04233001
Length:   0.536   CCSJ:   0353-02-037
Limits:   
From:   EAST OF IH 35W   Check:   $100,000
To:   BUS 114K   Misc Cost:   
Estimate   $116,042,403.52   % Over/Under   Company
Bidder 1   $107,231,732.40   -7.59%   MARIO SINACOLA & SONS EXCAVATING, INC.
Bidder 2   $107,650,286.41   -7.23%   SEMA CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Bidder 3   $107,991,334.35   -6.94%   ZACHRY CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION
Bidder 4   $110,142,203.86   -5.08%   FLATIRON CONSTRUCTORS, INC.
Bidder 5   $116,610,242.11   +0.49%   WEBBER, LLC

[Bobby5280]

This is going to be a 3x3 configured freeway (with room to expand to 4x4) just short of the intersection with I-35W? Yeah, you're not kidding. The area around the TX-114/I-35W interchange will be one hell of a bad choke point.

I wonder if the planners have bothered to notice just how many new businesses, housing additions and giant warehouses have been going up in that immediate area lately? It's all filling in. It's a good thing TX DOT created that huge median in the middle of TX-114 around 20 or so years ago. At least they have room for freeway main lanes up to the doorstep of the massive Northwest ISD school complex. There wasn't much built out there 20 years ago, other than Texas Motor Speedway. Northwest ISD was a lot smaller then. Every bit of spare real estate will be covered up by the time they finish this new phase of TX-114.

I don't expect TX DOT to build a 5-level directional stack interchange for TX-114 & I-35W any time soon. Really I don't know how they would be able to do it without demolishing a bunch of properties in 3 of the 4 corners of the intersection. Buc-ee's parking lot might be back just barely far enough to allow a somewhat tight flyover for NB I-35W to WB TX-114.

Even if the I-35W/TX-114 interchange is permanently stuck in an at-grade volleyball configuration I'm pretty sure TX DOT will be forced to extend the TX-114 freeway past I-35W, beyond Northwest ISD and over the BNSF rail line (just North of the BNSF Alliance Rail Yard). So much stuff is getting built right there that it looks like a traffic bomb is about to explode.

I worry that TX-114 from the Northwest ISD complex over to US-287 will degrade into a city street choked with at-grade intersections and traffic signals.

[Chris]

I wonder if the planners have bothered to notice just how many new businesses, housing additions and giant warehouses have been going up in that immediate area lately? It's all filling in.

I found this photo a while back. It's just south of the I-35W / SH 170 interchange. These are all huge warehouses and distribution centers. Imagine the truck traffic they generate.



This area is quickly filled in indeed:

[armadillo speedbump]

I don't expect TX DOT to build a 5-level directional stack interchange for TX-114 & I-35W any time soon.

There's no need for that much.  170 in effect performs most of that function for the SE corner, the catchment area for in between is too small to warrant direct connects in that quadrant.  US 287 is a bit further out but probably syphons off enough traffic that SW won't have a huge need for DC's either.  Looks like there is room for S to E in the NE corner, and the ground-level non-stop W to N is good enough (maybe eventually make it 2-lanes wide).  Plenty of room on the speedway land in the NW quadrant for S to W, E to N, and eventually N to W if warranted.  Room on the SW corner to slightly ease the curve and/or widen the E to S ground level nonstop connector, which again should be a good enough compromise.  TXDOT has to live in the real world of budgets and cost-benefit analysis.

BTW, why exactly can't TXDOT run direct connector ramps over the Bucee's parking lot instead of clearing that land out?  Seems like a terrible waste of money and space, parking lots should be excellent uses of land under ramps (we allow it under freeways, such as in downtown Houston) instead of cleared out for spotty grass and fire ant mounds.

And while I'm at it, a 1-finger salute to Bucee's for putting some of their massive traffic generating locations at major intersections that are already clogged with traffic.  Good for their profits, screws over everyone else.  Pisses me off every time I get stuck in the crap show that is the 337/46 and I-35 intersection in New Braunfels.  One of the worst place they could locate it for traffic reasons.  City staff and council that approved it deserve a horsewhipping.  A more typical strip mall/restaurant type of retail would have had a lower level of and concentration of demand.  Perhaps their modeling showed different, but I'm skeptical.

[thisdj78]

I don't expect TX DOT to build a 5-level directional stack interchange for TX-114 & I-35W any time soon.

BTW, why exactly can't TXDOT run direct connector ramps over the Bucee's parking lot instead of clearing that land out?  Seems like a terrible waste of money and space, parking lots should be excellent uses of land under ramps (we allow it under freeways, such as in downtown Houston) instead of cleared out for spotty grass and fire ant mounds.

It can definitely be done. If they can squeeze a stacked interchange at US281 and 1604 in San Antonio, anything is possible. I remember when they announced that project, wondering how the heck they were going to squeeze that in. But I swear they shaved off parts of the parking lots directly under the ramps.

[rte66man]

I don't expect TX DOT to build a 5-level directional stack interchange for TX-114 & I-35W any time soon.

BTW, why exactly can't TXDOT run direct connector ramps over the Bucee's parking lot instead of clearing that land out?  Seems like a terrible waste of money and space, parking lots should be excellent uses of land under ramps (we allow it under freeways, such as in downtown Houston) instead of cleared out for spotty grass and fire ant mounds.

It can definitely be done. If they can squeeze a stacked interchange at US281 and 1604 in San Antonio, anything is possible. I remember when they announced that project, wondering how the heck they were going to squeeze that in. But I swear they shaved off parts of the parking lots directly under the ramps.

Like this?
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9267725,-97.0928126,1121m/data=!3m1!1e3

[thisdj78]

I don't expect TX DOT to build a 5-level directional stack interchange for TX-114 & I-35W any time soon.

BTW, why exactly can't TXDOT run direct connector ramps over the Bucee's parking lot instead of clearing that land out?  Seems like a terrible waste of money and space, parking lots should be excellent uses of land under ramps (we allow it under freeways, such as in downtown Houston) instead of cleared out for spotty grass and fire ant mounds.

It can definitely be done. If they can squeeze a stacked interchange at US281 and 1604 in San Antonio, anything is possible. I remember when they announced that project, wondering how the heck they were going to squeeze that in. But I swear they shaved off parts of the parking lots directly under the ramps.

Like this?
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9267725,-97.0928126,1121m/data=!3m1!1e3

Ooh, I forgot about that one! Yep, no constraints.

[Road Hog]

You could build 20 lanes on SH 114 but as long as the circa-2001 substandard IH-35W interchange remains, that will be a continual choke point.

[armadillo speedbump]

Thanks for the 2 examples, I spy restaurant parking under a NW quadrant ramp for 281/1604.  Need a lot more of such shared use.

[thisdj78]

Thanks for the 2 examples, I spy restaurant parking under a NW quadrant ramp for 281/1604.  Need a lot more of such shared use.

They actually tore down a restaurant directly under that southbound to westbound ramp. I had to go back in time on Google Earth to verify.

[Bobby5280]

There's no need for that much.  170 in effect performs most of that function for the SE corner, the catchment area for in between is too small to warrant direct connects in that quadrant.

The TX-170/I-35W interchange is 5 miles South of the TX-114/I-35W interchange. That's a fairly good distance considering how fast that general area is getting jam packed with new development. It looks like the TX-170 freeway will end as a Y interchange with I-35W. I previously thought it was going to be built thru to US-287. But it looks like any hope of that has gone bye bye.

There is a lot of stuff in the immediate area of the TX-114/I-35W interchange that generates a huge amount of traffic. Texas Motor Speedway doesn't have events every day, but it's pretty bad when they do. Buc-ee's is a popular stop. Tanger Outlets draws a lot of vehicles. There's a hell of a lot of new restaurants and other stores on either side of I-35W there. That's on top of all the new homes and distributon warehouses getting built right there. If they can figure out some way how to built a complete directional stack interchange there they should do it. That way any not-stopping traffic moving thru the TX-114/I-35W interchange can get through there without being jammed up by at-grade traffic and stop lights.

BTW, why exactly can't TXDOT run direct connector ramps over the Bucee's parking lot instead of clearing that land out?

One reason is because people like throwing trash and other objects out of vehicle windows. Stuff falls off trailers. Vehicles parked below a flyover ramp are sitting ducks for any stuff going airborne.

Speaking of the really long flyover ramp in Grapevine for EB TX-114 to SB TX-121, it has a couple provisions for thrown trash and objects lost off trailers. The bridge has really tall fences with tight chain link grids installed on top of the Jersey barriers. Below the ramp the Classic Chevrolet car lot has tents built to cover the new vehicles. I'm sure one of the purposes of those tents is to help block hail. But those tents are probably also pulling double duty to protect from stuff falling from that highway ramp overhead.

It's one thing to have tents built over the top of new cars. It's another to try to cover a highly active parking lot with customer vehicles moving all over the place.

[armadillo speedbump]

There's no need for that much.  170 in effect performs most of that function for the SE corner, the catchment area for in between is too small to warrant direct connects in that quadrant.

The TX-170/I-35W interchange is 5 miles South of the TX-114/I-35W interchange. That's a fairly good distance considering how fast that general area is getting jam packed with new development. It looks like the TX-170 freeway will end as a Y interchange with I-35W. I previously thought it was going to be built thru to US-287. But it looks like any hope of that has gone bye bye.

There is a lot of stuff in the immediate area of the TX-114/I-35W interchange that generates a huge amount of traffic. Texas Motor Speedway doesn't have events every day, but it's pretty bad when they do. Buc-ee's is a popular stop. Tanger Outlets draws a lot of vehicles. There's a hell of a lot of new restaurants and other stores on either side of I-35W there. That's on top of all the new homes and distributon warehouses getting built right there. If they can figure out some way how to built a complete directional stack interchange there they should do it. That way any not-stopping traffic moving thru the TX-114/I-35W interchange can get through there without being jammed up by at-grade traffic and stop lights.

The catchment area for 114 westbound to 35W southbound movements and vice-versa is tiny when factoring in a completed 170.  Think it through.  Most of the area  in the 114/170/35W triangle with "Lots of stuff" naturally drains west or south directly to 35W or 170 for traffic headed south on 35W.  How much would go north to 114 west to take a direct connector to 35W south versus other routes?  Only a portion very close to 114 (maybe within a half mile).  Even most in the subdivisions north of Litsey Road are faster going to Eagle Pky/N.Beach intersection with 35W then then longer trek north to 114 (factoring in the extra minute or two saved by the short freeway travel on 114 and a direct connect).  Everyone east of the 170/114 split headed to south of 170/35W will take 170. 

But north of 114 is a very limited catchment area, too, because of the creeks and their large floodplain.  Everyone north and east of the 377/Cross Timbers Rd intersection will probably find it faster to use the shorter Cross Timbers to 35W route then 377 south to 114.  And I don't recall (could be wrong) a N/S road across the creek floodplains in between 377 and 35W.  So very little potential traffic, basically a less than 3 mile long by about a mile wide catchment area along 114 from Cleveland Gibbs Rd (or Northport) to Lois St.  Not enough to justify expensive direct connects.

Even if arguing for traffic to/from the area west of 35W between 114 and 170, look at the exits and arterial network.  Alliance Airport is a huge blocker, so anything along or west of Blue Mound Rd would go straight on 114 to BMR. The area east of the airport is rather small and just warehouses.  And for anything east of the 170/114 split it's 2 miles shorter to go via 170 to Westport Pky. and equidistant to Heritage Pky.  Also 170 unofficially will continue directly west as a non-freeway, the road has been under construction from 35W to just short of Schoolhouse Rd and is planned as an extension of Avondale-Haslet Rd.

So the catchment areas to feed the 114 west to 35W south and vice-versa are just very small, I doubt they justify expensive direct connects.  We can't afford to make everything super-duper Utopian freeways.  Better to spend that money on the long, long list of higher traffic demand improvements needed in the region.

[Bobby5280]

I don't believe the catchment of NB I-35W to WB TX-114 and vice versa is as tiny as you think. TX-114 is one of the major enter-exit arterials for both personal and commercial traffic on the West side of the DFW metroplex. TX-114 is the primary route I use to get into the metroplex when driving down from Lawton via US-287. TX-114 is far from being some meaningless route.

Truck traffic leaving any of those big distro warehouses by Alliance Airport and headed toward Amarillo is going to take I-35W up to TX-114 and use TX-114 to get out of the metroplex. And they're going to use EB TX-114 to SB I-35W to go the other way. They're not going to do a bunch of stop & go driving on suburban streets thru Haslet to get over to US-287. They're also not going to back-track on the TX-170 freeway to get to a completed TX-114 freeway because that "Y" interchange split of TX-114 & TX-170 has no movements for EB TX-170 to WB TX-114 and vice versa.

We can't afford to make everything super-duper Utopian freeways.

What I'm talking about isn't some "liberal" taxpayer funds giveaway to a nothing interchange in a nothing location. The general area around the TX-114/I-35W intersection is just as busy as many locations around the metroplex that do have complete freeway to freeway interchanges.

The need is definitely there for a complete directional interchange. The problem is all the crap that's has been built up in the way. Several restaurants and service businesses have gambled on that intersection being a permanent "volleyball." The very least thing TX DOT can do is properly upgrade the main lanes of TX-114 to limited access all the way to US-287. That way at least the thru traffic on TX-114 isn't plunged into stoplight hell.

[armadillo speedbump]

Found some good news in that area, Haslet Pky (the new road that will connect the end of 170 west to Avondale-Haslet Road) had a section open last week.  The portion from 170 to the southern extension of Intermodal Pky is complete and now provides a bypass around the 35W/Westport Pky intersection.  Westport had been the primary route to one of the nation's largest truck to rail transfer yards and had become a massive choke point during the poorly implemented expansion construction at that 35W intersection.  (IIRC, they had it down to 1 lane nb on the feeder and 3-way stop signs, which really slowed the trucks down and half a mile backups were common.)  Looks like the feeder roads were back to normal at Westport by Feb, so not as useful a bypass as it would have been last year.  But still a big help.

This "L" phase finished on time, so there's hope that the next phase will meet the Dec. 2024 deadline.  That phase is supposed to finish the extension to 156 and widen Avondale-Haslet from there to west of the RR tracks.  This direct route should save several minutes.  Should also pull more trucks off 156 from Haslet to US 287.

https://www.haslet.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=471

https://www.haslet.org/ImageRepository/Document?documentId=3045

https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/transportation/bond-program/transp-imprvements/widening/haslet---alliancetexas-haslet-haslet-accessibility-improvement-p.html

[armadillo speedbump]

Man, reading comprehension can be a valuable friend.  So underutilized.  None of what you wrote really applies to what I was talking about catchment areas, where I limited it to just the potential direct connectors in the southeast corner of 35W/114:

The catchment area for 114 westbound to 35W southbound movements and vice-versa is tiny when factoring in a completed 170. 

I agree that eventually 35W/114 might see 3 direct connectors built (perhaps ultimately up to 6) in the other 3 quadrants (NE, NW, SW).  But don't think the right-hand turn dc's are big needs anytime soon, the ground level ones are good enough, with perhaps some tweeks as demand grows.

I don't believe the catchment of NB I-35W to WB TX-114 and vice versa is as tiny as you think. TX-114 is one of the major enter-exit arterials for both personal and commercial traffic on the West side of the DFW metroplex. TX-114 is the primary route I use to get into the metroplex when driving down from Lawton via US-287. TX-114 is far from being some meaningless route.

Truck traffic leaving any of those big distro warehouses by Alliance Airport and headed toward Amarillo is going to take I-35W up to TX-114 and use TX-114 to get out of the metroplex. And they're going to use EB TX-114 to SB I-35W to go the other way. They're not going to do a bunch of stop & go driving on suburban streets thru Haslet to get over to US-287. They're also not going to back-track on the TX-170 freeway to get to a completed TX-114 freeway because that "Y" interchange split of TX-114 & TX-170 has no movements for EB TX-170 to WB TX-114 and vice versa.

We can't afford to make everything super-duper Utopian freeways.

What I'm talking about isn't some "liberal" taxpayer funds giveaway to a nothing interchange in a nothing location. The general area around the TX-114/I-35W intersection is just as busy as many locations around the metroplex that do have complete freeway to freeway interchanges.

The need is definitely there for a complete directional interchange. The problem is all the crap that's has been built up in the way. Several restaurants and service businesses have gambled on that intersection being a permanent "volleyball." The very least thing TX DOT can do is properly upgrade the main lanes of TX-114 to limited access all the way to US-287. That way at least the thru traffic on TX-114 isn't plunged into stoplight hell.

No one suggested truck should go east on 170 then west on 114, nice red herring.  But trucks from the warehouses west of Alliance Airport heading northwest often reach 114 via Intermodal Pky and 156.  It's several minutes faster, several miles shorter than 35W to 114.  And even for many of the warehouses on the east side of the airport it's shorter and faster for trucks to use Eagle Pky and 156 rather than backtrack east to 35W.  Easily witnessed if you spend some time driving 156.  Or heck, just play with Google Maps directions.

How many trucks do you think actually head from the area north of 287 to Amarillo?  A tiny fraction.  I assume you mean in that direction, and there is indeed a good amount of traffic towards the northwest part of the North Texas region.  But that is still a tiny part of the overall population and industrial base of the region.  I don't have the figures but bet 95% is headed for delivery to local, regional, or OKC, Tulsa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Houston, Austin, SA, and in between.  Perspective is important.  Heck, even the 287 expansion northwest from 35W is long overdue more for the relief to local connectivity and intersection congestion relief than mainlane traffic.  287 itself doesn't (yet) have much peak congestion, but the local grid is very disconnected and undersized for the current growth and developments.  It can take 10 minutes to get from one side of 287 to the other on Blue Mound Rd W (the east-west one) in the afternoons.  The Avondale-Haslet bridge over 287 is another cluster most of the day. 

Anyway, the point being that 114 west of 35W and 156 is still at the moment on the far edge of the metroplex.  It will soon boom, but isn't going to have near the traffic levels for another decade that we see in so many other areas of DFW that will need road upgrades perhaps more urgent than a '5-stack' at the speedway.

[Stephane Dumas]

I guess the "Five-Stack speedway" interchange (that's the nickname I give it to the interchange) if it built might be in phases like for example, phase 1 from TX-114 west to I-35W south and from I-35W north to TX-114 east.

[armadillo speedbump]

BTW, looking at some new census numbers this morning for 2022 (but far from a complete set, so the following is only very rough observations), DFW continues to lead every other CSA and metro area in growth, by a wide margin.  +277k in population 2020-2022, the next closest being Houston at +199k.  On pace to surpass 10 million in the CSA by 2034 (Houston on pace to reach 10 million in 2047), though many things can change that one way or another.  (Rising housing values forcing longer commutes would be a huge potential headwind, like so many other metros eventually encountered, however Texas has been one of the best states in trying to keep housing affordable and there is a suitable supply of land in every direction for DFW.  So there's a good chance the pop growth will continue strong for many years.)

The accelerated population losses for Chicago, big reversal in SF/Bay Area from rapid growth to significant loss, and end of the high growth for DC-Balt CSA, could mean a faster to much faster rise in size rankings for DFW.  Currently the 6th largest CSA (Combined Statistical Area, larger areas than metro's that are based on things like commuting patterns from counties, probably the best measure of overall economic/demographic impact and rank), DFW may pass Chicago by 2029 or 2030.  However, the big surprise would be DFW perhaps passing the SF/Bay area even before that.  Go back to 2019 and the Bay Area was growing strongly and projections were DFW might not catch them until late in the 2040's.  I think a more reasonable guess would be that at some point prices in the Bay Area drop and level out, inducing some growth again.  But it's definitely possible that DFW moves from the 6th largest CSA to 4th within the next 6 to 12 years.

DC-Baltimore CSA passed Chicago CSA in 2021 to become the 3rd largest in the US.  However, they also saw a big flip from strong growth to actual population loss from 2020 to 2021.  (I haven't seen 2022 numbers for them yet.) Extrapolate out the trend and DFW could pass DC-Balt by 2034.  Being the nation's capital, I do expect growth to resume, though perhaps not returning to quite as strong a rate as before.  Both the SF Bay Area and MD/VA have policies like Urban Growth Boundaries that restrict land available for development and raise housing costs substantially.

So there's a decent chance that in 12 to 20 years DFW becomes the 3rd largest CSA in the US.  (DFW won't catch LA or NYC in our lifetimes, they are way far ahead of everyone else in population.  After a rough 2 years, 2nd place LA CSA is still over 18 million.)

Also, Austin was 4th in the country in growth 2020-2022, at +121k, and San Antonio 8th at +87k.  At current rates, Austin metro would pass the San Antonio CSA in 2034.  But lots could change to affect that in one direction or the other, including having a county or 2 added to a metro or CSA in 2030 (same for any other metro/CSA).

Yeah, gonna need a lot more roads here in Texas.

Edit:  I'll bet $100 that 114 west to I35W south is not the 1st direct connector built there.  I'll bet $50 it's not the 2nd or 3rd built, either.

[Bobby5280]

Found some good news in that area, Haslet Pky (the new road that will connect the end of 170 west to Avondale-Haslet Road) had a section open last week. The portion from 170 to the southern extension of Intermodal Pky is complete and now provides a bypass around the 35W/Westport Pky intersection.

Haslet Parkway is not a highway. That's a suburban street, even if it is being built in a divided configuration. As new housing additions continue to fill in any available area that street will get loaded with traffic signals. It won't be any sort of fast short cut to US-287.

No one suggested truck should go east on 170 then west on 114, nice red herring.

Anyone driving in the general area around Alliance Airport and going West/Northwest out of town has few escape options if they are trying to avoid the at-grade intersection mess at I-35W & TX-114. TX-170 to TX-114 could have been an option if that "Y" interchange was fully completed and assuming TX DOT extends the TX-114 freeway West past I-35W. Most people don't like a lot of stop and go driving on local surface streets. Commercial truckers really don't like it. Some people will go well out of their way to take a freeway-only route or a route that is at least free flowing. 

Anyway, the point being that 114 west of 35W and 156 is still at the moment on the far edge of the metroplex.

That area is already booming.

Perhaps you might be looking at Google Earth imagery, which strangely defaults to a 12/6/2019 view of that area of DFW. Pull up the Google Earth time line and look at the enormous amount of new construction via the 6/15/2022 imagery compared to 2019. That view shows early construction on literally dozens of new housing additions North of TX-114 and West of FM-156. That's along with all the additional warehouses going up South of TX-114 and surrounding the Speedway grounds. A bunch of this is construction that has proceeded despite the global pandemic. If that isn't "booming" then there is no such thing as booming.

How many trucks do you think actually head from the area north of 287 to Amarillo? A tiny fraction.

Are you trying to claim there is hardly any commercial truck traffic on US-287 moving between the Amarillo and DFW areas? I've driven US-287 a lot between Wichita Falls and Fort Worth as well as between Memphis, TX and Amarillo. It's a fact there is lot of semi truck traffic on that stretch of highway. There is also a lot of trucks on TX-114 between US-287 and I-35W. The number of trucks on those highways is going to keep growing as they keep opening new warehouses near Texas Motor Speedway and Alliance Airport. It looks like thousands of new homes are getting built near TX-114 to the West of the Speedway. Traffic is already bad at TX-114 and I-35W. It's fixing to get considerably worse if TX DOT just keeps TX-114 as is.

[Road Hog]

Also, Austin was 4th in the country in growth 2020-2022, at +121k, and San Antonio 8th at +87k.  At current rates, Austin metro would pass the San Antonio CSA in 2034.  But lots could change to affect that in one direction or the other, including having a county or 2 added to a metro or CSA in 2030 (same for any other metro/CSA).

Yeah, gonna need a lot more roads here in Texas.

Austin and San Antonio are growing toward each other and eventually this I-35 corridor will become a metroplex of its own in about 20 to 30 years – if it hasn't already by some metrics.

It'll be like Arlington and Grand Prairie except that we're talking about counties instead of cities. It's about 30 miles between Dallas and Fort Worth downtown to downtown and about 80 miles between Austin and San Antonio. Their MSA's already abut each other, but San Antonio is more affordable right now.

As for DFW, I expect that Grayson County (Sherman-Denison) up on the Red River will eventually be folded into the DFW count - right now it's its own small MSA but is included in the DFW CSA.

[Bobby5280]

Austin and San Antonio are growing toward each other and eventually this I-35 corridor will become a metroplex of its own in about 20 to 30 years – if it hasn't already by some metrics.

San Marcos and New Braunfels are two of the fastest growing small cities in the nation. New Braunfels grew from 57,000 people in 2010 to 90,000 in 2020 and is currently adding around 10,000 new residents per year. Other towns along I-35 between San Antonio and Austin (Kyle, Buda, Selma, Northcliffe, etc) are also growing rapidly.

[rte66man]

Found some good news in that area, Haslet Pky (the new road that will connect the end of 170 west to Avondale-Haslet Road) had a section open last week.  The portion from 170 to the southern extension of Intermodal Pky is complete and now provides a bypass around the 35W/Westport Pky intersection.  Westport had been the primary route to one of the nation's largest truck to rail transfer yards and had become a massive choke point during the poorly implemented expansion construction at that 35W intersection.  (IIRC, they had it down to 1 lane nb on the feeder and 3-way stop signs, which really slowed the trucks down and half a mile backups were common.)  Looks like the feeder roads were back to normal at Westport by Feb, so not as useful a bypass as it would have been last year.  But still a big help.

This "L" phase finished on time, so there's hope that the next phase will meet the Dec. 2024 deadline.  That phase is supposed to finish the extension to 156 and widen Avondale-Haslet from there to west of the RR tracks.  This direct route should save several minutes.  Should also pull more trucks off 156 from Haslet to US 287.

https://www.haslet.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=471

https://www.haslet.org/ImageRepository/Document?documentId=3045

https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/transportation/bond-program/transp-imprvements/widening/haslet---alliancetexas-haslet-haslet-accessibility-improvement-p.html

If they didn't include an overpass at the rr then they still will have a big issue. The line gets a LOT of traffic. Also, I can't believe the heavily residential area between 156 and 287 will be happy about the increased truck traffic, especially as most of it is still 2 lanes.

[Bobby5280]

There is pretty recent 2/2023 Google Street View imagery along Blue Mound Road and School House Road where the Haslet Parkway construction would cross those roads. At this point it doesn't look like any construction has started on the new street. If a bridge is going to be built over the BNSF rail line they certainly haven't started any construction on that yet.

[Chris]

Austin and San Antonio are growing toward each other and eventually this I-35 corridor will become a metroplex of its own in about 20 to 30 years – if it hasn't already by some metrics.

San Marcos and New Braunfels are two of the fastest growing small cities in the nation. New Braunfels grew from 57,000 people in 2010 to 90,000 in 2020 and is currently adding around 10,000 new residents per year. Other towns along I-35 between San Antonio and Austin (Kyle, Buda, Selma, Northcliffe, etc) are also growing rapidly.

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/population-estimates-counties.html

Comal County was named to be the 9th fastest-growing county in the U.S. Census Bureau 2022 population estimate.

Bexar County is the 9th fastest growing numerically.

Austin MSA counties are not in the nationwide top 10.  Williamson County was a top 10 growing county in the 2021 estimate.

To return ontopic to the DFW area: Parker County (west of Fort Worth) and Rockwall County (east of Dallas) are among the 10 fastest growing counties by percentage. Kaufman County is one of the fastest growing numerically. These counties have a lot of room for growth and are not as far from the core cities of Fort Worth and Dallas respectively, as the northward growth increasingly is.

The growth north of Dallas is increasingly 40+ miles from Downtown Dallas, while Rockwall and Forney are only about 20 miles from Downtown Dallas.

Similarly, the continuous urban zone tapers off pretty quickly west of Fort Worth. Why is that? Suburban growth in Dallas-Fort Worth seems to have favored a northward trajectory.

[Bobby5280]

The Northward spread of the DFW metro has been going on for the past 40 years. As all that development has crossed the TX-121 and US-380 corridors it has started tipping the balance toward building in other surrounding areas. The areas to the North and Northwest of Fort Worth have been growing rapidly in more recent years. There is quite a lot of new growth South of Fort Worth around Burleson.

The area out West of Fort Worth doesn't have all that much development out West of I-820. But it looks like new development is picking up in places like Weatherford.

[armadillo speedbump]

Drove the new section of Haslet Pkwy this weekend west from I-35W/170 to the also just opened Intermodal Pkwy southern extension.  HP is 45 mph 4-lane divided, with a wide median to accomodate future lanes. IP is inexplicably only 40 mph, but also 4-lanes divided.  HP has been graded but not paved west of IP.

The bigger news is that there's finally evidence of the phase 2 of Haslet Pkwy making progress on the western end of the project.  Utility relocation has begun in the ROW at School House Rd and along Avondale-Haslet Rd all the way to the curve past the RR tracks.  'Work Zone' signs are up on both Avondale-Haslet and 156.  Couldn't find an indication if it will be a simple widening on AH Rd or the grade separation at the RR tracks will be included.  I'd guess just widening.  Don't know if the Dec. 2024 projection for completion of phase 2 is still realistic, but at least there's finally some work going on.

There is also more sporadic utility work along Avondale-Haslet Rd west of there to the new section near Walmart that was widened.  I don't know if that is because the separate widening project here will soon get underway or if it is just efficiently doing some of the utility relocation at the same time as the eastern project.  And it looks like most of the utilities relocations needed along AH Rd have not been started.

Meanwhile, the never ending expansion of Blue Mound Rd south of US 287 continues to inch forward at a snail's pace.