Arlington(TX): Interchange at IH 30 and SH 360 construction

[MaxConcrete]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/TxDOT-Working-on-I-30-Connector-in-Arlington-276999921.html

A full interchange with direct connectors is long, long, long overdue at this intersection. The current connections are leftovers from the old DFW Turnpike (made free in 1978) and require going through a traffic signal. I was concerned that the interchange may have been put on indefinite hold to try to steer traffic onto the nearby SH 161/Bush Turnpike, which has a brand-new five-level interchange just over a mile away. So this report is encouraging. But as it states, there is no money allocated yet, and the report lists the cost as being around $200 million.



TxDOT Working on I-30 Connector in Arlington
TxDOT moving forward with plans for I-30 / 360 connector, but waiting for money

Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 - Updated at 5:33 PM CDT

For longtime Arlington resident Tony Fontanelli, explaining how you get from Interstate 30 to State Highway 360 is just as dizzying as driving it.

"You get off [the interstate], then you take the access road, and you come to a stop light," said Fontanelli. "And if you want to go north, you have to make a right-hand turn, go along another access road, and go through another light."

Although they cross near Arlington's Entertainment District, there are no direct connectors between the two highways. Drivers, instead, have to go down side streets and through traffic lights to get from one to the other.

"It's kind of antiquated, and it should have been fixed 25 years ago," said Fontanelli.

The Texas Department of Transportation agrees that change is needed at the interchange.

"It's basically leftover from when I-30 was a turnpike," said Val Lopez, a spokesperson for TxDOT's Fort Worth District. "We are looking to modernize that facility."

Lopez said the project has been on TxDOT's radar for quite some time. In fact, they're nearly finished with the design process. The hold up now is money.

The new interchange is expected to cost $200 million. Lopez said that project is competing with many other road projects that also need to be funded.

"What we're doing is trying to complete the plans, so that when funding is identified, it will be shovel ready," said Lopez.

There's no telling when that money will come down from the state, but drivers like Fontanelli hope it's sooner rather than later.

[longhorn]

It's about time, the footprint for a stack is kind of tight though in that area. Some Hotels along I-30 is going to have to be brought out.

[SquonkHunter]

I watched TX 360 being built and rebuilt over a period of almost 40 years. At least they finally did something about that dangerous interchange with TX 180 (old US 80). I think there were more skid marks than actual pavement on those ramps. Came close to buying the farm there once myself.   

[MaxConcrete]

The public meeting for the planned interchange was held this evening.

* The interchange will be 4-level, not 5-level
* New frontage roads for I-30 will be built through the interchange. The roads are labeled as "collector-distributor rd" in the schematic. However, the frontage roads will not intersect the existing SH 360 frontage roads, so that makes the interchange 4-level.
* All eight direct-connection ramps will be built. All ramps will have one lane only.
* 5 buildings will be displaced on the southeast side of the interchange - mostly fast-food restaurants. Two buildings will be displaced on the northwest side. The fuel station on the NW corner of the Lamar/360 intersection is already closed.
* SH 360 will be fully rebuilt, both main lanes and frontage roads. However, no new lanes will be added.
* I-30 between SH 360 and SH 161 (Bush Turnpike) will be fully rebuilt and widened, with 7 westbound lanes, 6 eastbound lanes and two reversible HOT lanes.
* There were exhibits of alternate plans to extend the I-30 frontage roads from SH 360 to SH 161. But the currently adopted plan stops the frontage roads short of Great Southwest Parkway.
* The information distributed at the meeting lists the project cost at $295 million. This is about 50% higher than the $200 million reported in local news reports.
* The earliest start of construction is summer 2015. I think that start is possible if the newly-available proposition 1 funds are directed to this project.

[dfwmapper]

Not eligible for Prop 1 funds if it includes a toll component.

[NE2]

Not eligible for Prop 1 funds if it includes a toll component.

Why would tolls be involved?

[Guysdrive780]

Its a part of the new I-30 project. They add a reversible manage lane on I-30 to arlington

[rantanamo]

Will the Six Flags exit still remain in tact?  Always thought that as a weird exit, but it was also there to get people onto 360.

[NE2]

Its a part of the new I-30 project. They add a reversible manage lane on I-30 to arlington

What does that have to do with the SH 360 interchange? Those lanes just run right through the middle.

[Guysdrive780]

Its a part of the new I-30 project. They add a reversible manage lane on I-30 to arlington

What does that have to do with the SH 360 interchange? Those lanes just run right through the middle.

You asked why there where tolls part of it and I answered your question

[NE2]

And I disagree. The reversible lanes are not part of this project.

[Guysdrive780]

And I disagree. The reversible lanes are not part of this project.

Kinda, its just a different project that's going on now that happen to cross paths

[dfwmapper]

Not eligible for Prop 1 funds if it includes a toll component.

Why would tolls be involved?

I was going off this:

* I-30 between SH 360 and SH 161 (Bush Turnpike) will be fully rebuilt and widened, with 7 westbound lanes, 6 eastbound lanes and two reversible HOT lanes.

If they're doing that as a separate project, then great, full speed ahead with the Prop 1 money on the interchange. If it's all one big project, then it's a problem, mostly that the accountants weren't smart enough to break it up.

[Stephane Dumas]

* There were exhibits of alternate plans to extend the I-30 frontage roads from SH 360 to SH 161. But the currently adopted plan stops the frontage roads short of Great Southwest Parkway.

Speaking of Great Southwest parkway, I saw the current overpass being 2 lanes while it's 4-lanes divided boulevard, north and south of the overpass. Do they plan to rebuilt the overpass to accomodate 4-lanes or even link Great Southwest pkwy to the future I-30 service roads?

[MaxConcrete]

Speaking of Great Southwest parkway, I saw the current overpass being 2 lanes while it's 4-lanes divided boulevard, north and south of the overpass. Do they plan to rebuilt the overpass to accomodate 4-lanes or even link Great Southwest pkwy to the future I-30 service roads?

Yes, Great Southwest Parkway will have new bridges with two lanes in each direction. Note that north is to the right in the schematic below.

Also, the Avenenues F and G on both sides of the freeway are being considered to be converted into one-way frontage roads.

[MaxConcrete]

Not eligible for Prop 1 funds if it includes a toll component.

It turns out I was wrong when I stated that the two lanes in the center of Interstate 30 are planned to be HOT lanes. They are in fact planned as HOV lanes and will not be tolled. The planned interchange at SH 360 and improvements to Interstate 30 are just inside Tarrant County. Once the HOV lanes cross into Dallas County, the HOV lanes became HOT lanes and are tolled.

I attended a NCTCOG public meeting this evening, and the COG director said that anything associated with a toll facility is ineligible for Proposition 1 funding. Since this project has no toll component, the entire project is eligible for proposition 1 funding, and the project is in fact at or near the top of the list to receive funding. So we can look for this contract to be awarded in the second half of 2015.

[SquonkHunter]

Speaking of Great Southwest parkway, I saw the current overpass being 2 lanes while it's 4-lanes divided boulevard, north and south of the overpass. Do they plan to rebuilt the overpass to accomodate 4-lanes or even link Great Southwest pkwy to the future I-30 service roads?

After all the years I drove over that miserable excuse of a road and bridge, NOW they finally get around to actually doing something about it. Incredible. 

[Stephane Dumas]

I saw some alternatives studied for the services roads of I-30 and other plans at
http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/fort-worth/120214.html
http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/ftw/i-30-gswp-alt1.pdf
http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/ftw/i-30-gswp-alt2.pdf

[rantanamo]

Not eligible for Prop 1 funds if it includes a toll component.

It turns out I was wrong when I stated that the two lanes in the center of Interstate 30 are planned to be HOT lanes. They are in fact planned as HOV lanes and will not be tolled. The planned interchange at SH 360 and improvements to Interstate 30 are just inside Tarrant County. Once the HOV lanes cross into Dallas County, the HOV lanes became HOT lanes and are tolled.

I attended a NCTCOG public meeting this evening, and the COG director said that anything associated with a toll facility is ineligible for Proposition 1 funding. Since this project has no toll component, the entire project is eligible for proposition 1 funding, and the project is in fact at or near the top of the list to receive funding. So we can look for this contract to be awarded in the second half of 2015.

Wait, what?  Are they currently converting the HOV lanes on I-30 in Dallas county to HOT lanes then?

[MaxConcrete]

Wait, what?  Are they currently converting the HOV lanes on I-30 in Dallas county to HOT lanes then?

My understanding based on what I heard at the recent NCTCOG meeting is that the HOV lanes will be HOT lanes in Dallas County. However, I can't say for a fact that I am correct. As you are probably aware, there is a big construction project in Dallas underway to provide access ramps to the HOV/HOT lanes. In Tarrant County, the lanes would be HOV lanes (no toll).  HOT lanes in Dallas County is consistent with the following document posted on the NCTCOG web site, but that document is inaccurate since it shows the HOT lanes extending into Tarrant County.

http://www.nctcog.org/trans/mtp/managed/documents/ManagedLaneSystemMap.pdf
 

[MaxConcrete]

TxDOT is having a public meeting with the final design in advance of the project going to bid later this year

Schematics available on the meeting page
http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/fort-worth/063015.html

Observation:
The alternative designs to extend the I-30 frontage roads between SH 360 and SH 161 were not adopted. Two-way Avenue F and G along the south and north sides of the freeway will remain as-is, dead-ending on the west side of Great Southwest Parkway. Otherwise, I don't see any major changes to the design that was presented last year.

Also, I'm glad to see the ridiculous barrier that was recently built in the middle of the pavement to limit eastbound traffic to three lanes will be removed, and there will be five eastbound lanes approaching the SH 360 interchange.
 
 

[MaxConcrete]

Anyone looking at the schematics may notice that the new eastbound frontage road is built over the site of the old Texas Turnpike Authority administration building, which was built for the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike in 1957. Below are some photos of the demolition of that building in 2011.





 
 

[MaxConcrete]

TxDOT recently posted a video depiction of the project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMxIf8t_jHE

The project is listed at $236 million and is scheduled for award in October 2015
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/cmd/cserve/let/2016/tarrant.htm#106802076

[MaxConcrete]

Bids were opened today. The winning bidder was Houston's Williams Brothers construction at $233 million, no surprise since their biggest strength is big interchanges with long elevated structures. They normally complete their projects on or ahead of schedule.

Estimate    $238,772,715.23    % Over/Under    Company
Bidder 1    $233,181,888.49    -2.34%       WILLIAMS BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.
Bidder 2    $241,960,820.07    +1.34%       BALFOUR BEATTY INFRASTRUCTURE, INC.
Bidder 3    $245,498,999.03    +2.82%       ODEBRECHT CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Bidder 4    $259,980,834.68    +8.88%       WEBBER, LLC
Bidder 5    $261,083,437.24    +9.34%       ZACHRY CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION
Bidder 6    $271,683,702.56    +13.78%    AUSTIN BRIDGE & ROAD SERVICES, LP
Bidder 7    $298,338,206.13    +24.95%    ARCHER WESTERN CONSTRUCTION, LLC


http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/cmd/cserve/bidtab/11043231.htm

[Chris]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/traffic/stories/TxDOT-Arlington-Break-Ground-on-Major-Interchange-Project-370868591.html

Construction on the I-30 / SH 360 interchange in Arlington started.