DFW 2045 Mobility Plan Update

[MaxConcrete]

NCTCOG is slated to approve the updated mobility plan next week.
https://kentico-admin.nctcog.org/getmedia/eca88d20-2168-4bae-8dc9-f025810cbd3f/agenda-packet-juneRTC.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf

The highway plan is surely the most ambitious in the United States. I don't think any other region even comes close. Houston is probably a distant #2. However, inflation is a risk for actually getting all these projects done by 2045. The list of highway work is in the link above starting on page 180. It's easier to look at the map, where you can see how the planned US 380 freeway is now slated to connect into the east outer loop to form a northeast freeway bypass. This has some consequences for other projects, see my notes below.

https://www.nctcog.org/getmedia/033e7a3c-2c82-4c08-866b-8f623a0a4c39/Major-Roadway-Recommendations_FullPg_1.png.aspx

Collin County Outer Loop North
DNT to SH 121: planned as 1x1 by 2026 (includes sections already built and work in progress), 2x2 frontage roads between by 2036. Not scheduled for any freeway lanes before 2045.

Collin County Outer Loop Northeast (SH 121 to US 380)
Removed from the plan, will be further studied

Collin County Outer Loop East, US 380 to IH 20
2x2 Frontage Road by 2036, 2x2 freeway by 2045. Cost listed at $2 billion
Observation: previous plan did not go south of IH-30. Now it goes all the way to IH 20 as a freeway.

US 380 Collin County
Entirely a freeway by 2036

Observation: These changes to the Collin County Outer Loop appear to be the result of the US 380 freeway. With the US 380 freeway on a fast track, the north outer loop has less urgency and remains as frontage roads by 2045. The east outer loop is accelerated and planned as a full freeway to connect to the US 380 freeway, going all the way south to IH 20. This effectively forms a northeast bypass loop, so the planned northeast Collin County Loop is removed from the plan (but could proceed after 2045).

Loop 288 North in Denton, IH 35 to US 380
3x3 freeway by 2036, including the new alignment into US 380

US 380 from Loop 288 to DNT
Frontage roads only by 2045.

Denton County Outer Loop, IH 35 to DNT
1x1 frontage road by 2036 and 3x3 freeway by 2045

The Denton County Outer Loop is accelerated to become a freeway, probably because US 380 in Denton County is not scheduled to become a freeway by 2045. However, the Denton County Outer Loop connects to the Collin County Outer Loop which is not scheduled to be a freeway by 2045. Observation: The US 380 freeway in Denton County appears to be delayed in favor of building the Denton County Loop further north.

Spur 399 in McKinney
The map shows the alignment on the east side of McKinney Airport. This alignment is still under study, but this is a good "clue" about the recommended alignment.

SH 114 Irving
From Loop 12 (former Texas Stadium site) to the DFW Connector, this is downsized. It was previously planned as 4-2M-2M-4 (and a section just west of Loop 12 was built to this design). Now it is
4-1M-1M-4 from DFW Connector to Northwest Highway (by 2036)
3-1M-1M-3 in Las Colinas (by 2036)

I'm disappointed to see this downsizing. The right-of-way for the originally planned design was not preserved, so it would have been expensive to proceed with the original plan. There could also be lane balance issues with the wider facility, bringing in too much traffic to the DFW Connector and the merge into SH 183 in Dallas.

SH 199 main lanes between IH 820 and Lake Worth
Scheduled by 2036. I was hoping to see this done much sooner, although it could still happen in the late 2020s.

There's much, much more slated to happen in addition to what I mentioned. Other notable projects include the southward extension of the SH 360 south tollway from US 287 to US 67, a tolled connector between SH 360 Toll and the south end of the Bush Turnpike

[Bobby5280]

I have some mixed feelings about the long range plan.

They're going to have to work faster at getting the US-380 corridor upgraded between Denton and McKinney. "Staging" the section between the Denton loop and Dallas North Tollway out past 2045 is a non-starter. By 2045 the US-380 corridor will likely need to be 100% limited access from US-287 in Decatur all the way over to I-30 in Greenville. Their plan extends the US-380 freeway as far East as Farmersville, several miles short of I-30. The West end of the freeway corridor doesn't go past Denton.

US-82 falls outside of their plan map. The section of US-82 between Gainesville and Sherman needs to be upgraded to a freeway. TX DOT should at least be working on acquiring ROW. I can see a Wichita Falls-Texarkana regional bypass corridor taking shape.

I'm glad the plan appears to show US-287 being upgraded 100% to a freeway from the I-35W split up through Decatur. That would be the hardest segment to tackle in a larger US-287 Interstate upgrade from Fort Worth to Amarillo.

I think the plan is short sighted regarding TX-114. The segment between US-287 and I-35W needs to be a freeway flanked by frontage roads. Their plan shows the TX-114 freeway going no farther West than the Northwest ISD school complex.

[thisdj78]

Interesting updates, thanks!

I'm looking at that proposed routing of 121 around the southern part of McKinney that would connect to 380 east and I just noticed there is a new road called Harry Mckillop Blvd that follows that same path. I wonder if that facility will eventually be part of the future 121 east extension:

https://goo.gl/maps/CVqWoXBUZa3gvxeu6

[Road Hog]

SH 121 needs to be extended all the way to Princeton to relieve traffic on US 380.

The segment of the Collin County Outer Loop frontage road between the DNT and US 75 is well underway. It should be complete by the end of this year from the DNT to Custer Road, and only a 5-mile gap between Custer and 75 will remain. The Outer Loop will be a gamechanger when finished.

[Stephane Dumas]

Speaking of TX-121, TXDOT currently widen it northeast of Melissa. https://goo.gl/maps/cfYvhYeijxygbP6A7  Is there some long-range plans to widen TX-121 up to US-82 near Bonham?

[-- US 175 --]

I wonder what the orange circle on the map on page 231 is regarding US 175 in Kaufman County?  I looked around for a legend or explanation.  All I found so far was a question in the comments section about upgrades to the bypass in Kemp.

[-- US 175 --]

Speaking of TX-121, TXDOT currently widen it northeast of Melissa. https://goo.gl/maps/cfYvhYeijxygbP6A7  Is there some long-range plans to widen TX-121 up to US-82 near Bonham?

Other than what you linked, and the grade separation done in recent years at the TX 160 crossing north of Blue Ridge, I haven't heard of anything.  There are also grade separations in Trenton and Randolph.  Fannin County is in TxDOT's Paris District, so their part of TxDOT's website might list something if anything is being planned.  If anything is on the horizon in Bonham, there are a few things to overcome there, mainly the s-curve, overlap, and intersections with TX 56 (historic US 82).  IDK how the traffic counts are up there lately, but there may not be enough going on to justify any changes up there yet.

[bwana39]

I have some mixed feelings about the long range plan.

They're going to have to work faster at getting the US-380 corridor upgraded between Denton and McKinney. "Staging" the section between the Denton loop and Dallas North Tollway out past 2045 is a non-starter. By 2045 the US-380 corridor will likely need to be 100% limited access from US-287 in Decatur all the way over to I-30 in Greenville. Their plan extends the US-380 as far East as Farmersville, several miles short of I-30. The West end of the freeway corridor doesn't go past Denton.

US-82 falls outside of their plan map. The section of US-82 between Gainesville and Sherman needs to be upgraded to a freeway. TX DOT should at least be working on acquiring ROW. I can see a Wichita Falls-Texarkana regional bypass corridor taking shape.

I'm glad the plan appears to show US-287 being upgraded 100% to a freeway from the I-35W split up through Decatur. That would be the hardest segment to tackle in a larger US-287 Interstate upgrade from Fort Worth to Amarillo.

I think the plan is short sighted regarding TX-114. The segment between US-287 and I-35W needs to be a freeway flanked by frontage roads. Their plan shows the TX-114 freeway going no farther West than the Northwest ISD school complex.

It APPEARS this plan only includes the Dallas & Ft Worth TxDOT districts. Farmersville  is the last town outside the Paris District as would be Grayson County.  And as we all know. whatever you call a TIP, it is still a wish list. A focused wish list but still it sets nothing in stone.

As to  SH-114, it has never been a real priority for the folks in Denton County. Even SH-170 was a chore. Connecting it to SH-114 was a real stretch.

[bwana39]

Speaking of TX-121, TXDOT currently widen it northeast of Melissa. https://goo.gl/maps/cfYvhYeijxygbP6A7  Is there some long-range plans to widen TX-121 up to US-82 near Bonham?

Other than what you linked, and the grade separation done in recent years at the TX 160 crossing north of Blue Ridge, I haven't heard of anything.  There are also grade separations in Trenton and Randolph.  Fannin County is in TxDOT's Paris District, so their part of TxDOT's website might list something if anything is being planned.  If anything is on the horizon in Bonham, there are a few things to overcome there, mainly the s-curve, overlap, and intersections with TX 56 (historic US 82).  IDK how the traffic counts are up there lately, but there may not be enough going on to justify any changes up there yet.

I think that major upgrades to anything in the Paris TxDot district is on hold until the US-75 project through Grayson County and the US-82 project in Fannin County is completed.

This thread is about a report that is only related to the Dallas and Fort Worth TxDOT offices. In some cases it realizes the adjacent districts cannot or will not do anything and doesn't make plans related to that.On the other hand, these inter-district projects seem to go from proposal to fruition without ever actually being on a long term plan.

[armadillo speedbump]

Thanks for the thread, lots of good information here.

Outer Loop versus 380 east in Denton County seems odd, but maybe that's the county's insistence for prioritization.  Doesn't necessarily mean it will play out that way. 

I wonder if the odd expansion of I-20 east of the Aledo split to the county line but no expansion of the 2-lanes each way east of there to I-820 is a similar reflection of different counties' differing priorities?

Wouldn't be surprised if I-20 east of the Terrell split gets a third lane before 2045.

A little surprised at the delay for the southern Loop 9 project, but perhaps it would be more a benefit for Ellis County, and too far out to have much impact on the South Dallas Mafia's pockets.

114 doesn't have to be freeway west of the speedway, as long as there are no stoplights.  Michigan U's (though I don't expect that), select overpasses, and maybe limiting access to side streets rather than businesses (with decel and accel lanes), though that isn't necessary. Superstreets work fine, see US 90A southwest of 610 until it reaches Stafford.  With limited $$$ I'd rather see more miles of free flowing roads in multiple corridors than a single perfect freeway over just one stretch.
 
Overall the plan seems like a reasonable compromise.  And as always can be adjusted over time, aren't these updated every 5 years?

NCTCOG is slated to approve the updated mobility plan next week.
https://kentico-admin.nctcog.org/getmedia/eca88d20-2168-4bae-8dc9-f025810cbd3f/agenda-packet-juneRTC.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf

I have to say, what an embarrassing document full of woke nonsense in that link.  Lots of snarky fluff from twitter, D Magazine, the Guardian, etc.  Transit (Ignore the crime behind the curtain!) and bike paths for the mobility win, Texans are revolting against more road lanes, blah blah blah.  Didn't have time to read the whole thing so I am assuming (hoping) that this was just submissions from the public, but what an unserious and unprofessional time waste.

[kernals12]

The highway plan is surely the most ambitious in the United States. I don't think any other region even comes close

I have to disagree with you on that. Proportionate to population, I think Phoenix has the edge. They're planning 3 entirely new freeway corridors (as opposed to extensions of existing ones).

But yes it's exciting. It's good to see that the West Coast's anti-highway mentality is being kept at bay.

[Bobby5280]

114 doesn't have to be freeway west of the speedway, as long as there are no stoplights.  Michigan U's (though I don't expect that), select overpasses, and maybe limiting access to side streets rather than businesses (with decel and accel lanes), though that isn't necessary.

I don't agree with that at all. TX-114 is one of the main entry-exit points for the DFW metro for traffic reaching it via US-287. It would really suck for TX-114 going West of the Speedway complex (and the giant amount of other stuff built up nearby) to be turned into some cluttered "super street" similar to something like US-1 between Trenton and New Brunswick. Except that portion of TX-114 wouldn't have any interchanges like US-1. Without proper planning it will become just another divided road with a bunch of intersections and driveways. When that happens TX-114 will become worthless as a gateway arterial for DFW.

US-287 between Fort Worth and Amarillo needs to become an Interstate-class corridor. And TX-114 needs to be an Interstate-class spur off that corridor.

[wxfree]

It APPEARS this plan only includes the Dallas & Ft Worth TxDOT districts. Farmersville the last town outside the Paris District as would be Grayson County.  And as we all kniow Whatever you call a TIP, it is still a wish list. A focused wish list but still it sets nothing in stone.

As to  SH-114, it has never been a real priority for the folks in Denton County. Even SH-170 was a chore. Connecting it to SH-114 was a real stretch.

This is a product of the regional transportation council, which has limited geographical jurisdiction.  The only county in the Paris district that's included is Hunt.  This is not a document by TxDOT, which as statewide jurisdiction.  RTC is a committee on the North Central Texas Council of Governments.  Grayson County is in the Texoma Council of Governments, along with Cooke and Fannin Counties.

NCTCOG is slated to approve the updated mobility plan next week.
https://kentico-admin.nctcog.org/getmedia/eca88d20-2168-4bae-8dc9-f025810cbd3f/agenda-packet-juneRTC.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf

I have to say, what an embarrassing document full of woke nonsense in that link.  Lots of snarky fluff from twitter, D Magazine, the Guardian, etc.  Transit (Ignore the crime behind the curtain!) and bike paths for the mobility win, Texans are revolting against more road lanes, blah blah blah.  Didn't have time to read the whole thing so I am assuming (hoping) that this was just submissions from the public, but what an unserious and unprofessional time waste.

The RTC agenda each month includes local media articles related to transportation issues in an attachment.  This is done in order to keep the members informed as to what is being written in newspapers and other publications.  It is not and endorsement and does not reflect agreement with the content of those articles.

[Plutonic Panda]

SH 114 Irving
From Loop 12 (former Texas Stadium site) to the DFW Connector, this is downsized. It was previously planned as 4-2M-2M-4 (and a section just west of Loop 12 was built to this design). Now it is
4-1M-1M-4 from DFW Connector to Northwest Highway (by 2036)
3-1M-1M-3 in Las Colinas (by 2036)

TxDOT should just go with a 5-5 setup and scrap the express lanes. I only say that for two reasons, one slow poke screws the entire thing up and it seems like a waste of space having the concrete Jersey barrier just to separate asingle lane of traffic. If they would just use plastic bollards and have more access points even that would be better at only one express lane each way.

Last time I used one of these I had a guy who got mad and claimed I was tailgating him even though I was almost 5 car lengths behind him he slowed down to around 45 MPH and created a line of people behind me including a truck who started actually tailgating me because of the dumbass in front of me. It was a headache and I don't feel like going through it again so I probably won't use the single lane setups again unless traffic is gridlocked.

[kernals12]

So it looks like they adopted the plan