DFW Projects Thread

[Bobby5280]

I don't think any time line has been picked out when to start construction on Phases 4A, 4B and 5A of the Dallas North Tollway. TX DOT is upgrading the intersection with US-380 and the DNT.

For anyone's info: Phase 4A of the Dallas North Tollway will run 6 miles North of US-380 to the intersection of Dallas Parkway and FM 428. Phase 4B of the DNT will extend 7.7 miles to the Collin and Grayson county lines and parallel County Line Road. Phase 5A will push the DNT up near the intersection of TX-121 and Scharff Rd, a 4 miles West of Gunter.
https://www.ntta.org/newsresources/reports/projectprogressreports/Documents/current_cpr/CPR_DNT4-5_secure.pdf
Long term, the DNT will be extended up to US-82 near Sherman. I think the DNT should ultimately dove-tail into US-75 by Denison.

I am wondering when construction will start on the Bush Turnpike East Branch extension from I-30 down thru Sunnyvale and Mesquite to I-20. I think the project is still in the draft EIS phase and a final alignment has not yet been chosen.

[codyg1985]

Is the Dallas North Tollway really needed that far north?

[Chris]

Prosper is growing pretty fast. It doubled in population since 2010 and Google Earth imagery shows numerous new subdivisions being built. The Frisco-McKinney area south of US 380 is rapidly getting built-out. They should turn US 380 into a freeway before it all gets developed, too...

Collin County growth creating traffic time bomb, officials say: 'We have to get moving on it'

[Bobby5280]

The US-380 corridor is too badly encroached in a lot of places between Denton and McKinney. I think the plan is to build a new terrain East-West freeway between Denton and McKinney parallel to US-380 about a mile or so to the North. And that might be part of a long term planned outer loop for all of the DFW megapolis.

[Road Hog]

Here are the plans for the Collin County Outer Loop service road. The section west of US 75 runs actually about 5 miles north of US 380.

One section is already built between TX 121 and US 75 between Anna and Melissa. East of 121 it makes a sharp turn to the south and picks up Farmersville and Josephine. The second phase is supposed to be between FM 6 and the Rockwall County line, but no idea if it has been built yet.

Main lanes, of course, are decades away.

http://www.collincountytx.gov/mobility/Pages/outerloop.aspx

[In_Correct]

Is the Dallas North Tollway really needed that far north?

Yes.       

[In_Correct]

The US-380 corridor is too badly encroached in a lot of places between Denton and McKinney. I think the plan is to build a new terrain East-West freeway between Denton and McKinney parallel to US-380 about a mile or so to the North. And that might be part of a long term planned outer loop for all of the DFW megapolis.

Loop 9.

Also, a Loop 503 would be nice.

[AsphaltPlanet]

This is kind of an old project, but I just recently uploaded some photos of the North Tarrant Express from the perspective of I-820.  My photos were taken about a year ago in November of 2015.  (I'm slow to upload stuff.)  I don't have any recent photos of the I-35W interchange, though I would be interested in seeing an updated status of that part of the project, but here goes:

Westerly view along I-820 from the North Riverside Drive overpass.  I have to think this view is considerably out of date, but it's a cool vantage point of such a neat interchange under construction nevertheless.


View looking easterly along I-820 as it passes beneath the ramp that carries traffic from the 820 Express Lanes to US-377:


Westerly view along I-820 from the US-377 overpass:


Easterly views along I-820 from the US-377 overpass:



Passing beneath the structure that carries the ramp from US-377 to the Express lanes:



Westerly view from the Iron Horse Road overpass


Signage for both I-820 and the I-820 Express Lanes from Iron Horse Road.  Note that the signage for I-820 Express doesn't explicitly indicate that it is a toll facility:


Easterly views from Iron Horse Road onto I-820:



Easterly view approaching the TX-121 and 183 interchange:



At the TX-121/183 interchange:


The full version photos (the small ones don't show the scale of the project) can be found here, in addition to several other I-820 interchange photos:
http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/TX/I/820/index.html

[longhorn]

Never understood by they used pavement instead of concrete. Concrete lasts much longer and less maintenance.

[TXtoNJ]

Never understood by they used pavement instead of concrete. Concrete lasts much longer and less maintenance.

I'd imagine that the primary reasons are noise mitigation, aesthetics, and the extreme swings in DFW's climate making maintenance of asphalt more cost-effective than concrete slab in high-traffic areas.

[Brian556]

I think it's to make the projects cheaper so they can get done more quickly

[Bobby5280]

I-820 through the Northern parts of Fort Worth is quite an oddity. Aside from the asphalt roadway, the highway has 4 carriageways, 2 tolled and 2 free. But all four have only 2 lanes each. TX DOT probably could have built a normal 10 or 12 lane freeway through there in the same space and moved traffic more effectively. That road jams up pretty good on the free lanes while hardly anyone uses the toll lanes.

[longhorn]

I-820 through the Northern parts of Fort Worth is quite an oddity. Aside from the asphalt roadway, the highway has 4 carriageways, 2 tolled and 2 free. But all four have only 2 lanes each. TX DOT probably could have built a normal 10 or 12 lane freeway through there in the same space and moved traffic more effectively. That road jams up pretty good on the free lanes while hardly anyone uses the toll lanes.

Would love to see TxDot's computer simulations showing that two free lanes in each direction would be adequate.

[wxfree]

While agreeing with the assessment about the stupidity of having only two free lanes each way, it should be pointed out that the agreement with the private developer that built the road and tolls the managed lanes requires the developer to build a third free lane, at their own expense, at some future time.  I don't know what the timeframe is.  The smaller initial scope helped reduce the initial cost, and increases congestion to incentivize use of managed lanes, but third lanes are coming.

[Bobby5280]

I can imagine how they would add a 3rd free lane in each direction. There appears to be barely enough room to add another lane inside the left lane along parts of I-820. It would be a really tight fit to fit 3 lanes and still have any shoulders. It looks like it could be costly to add. Too bad they couldn't have built it as a 3-2-2-3 arrangement in the first place. Still, a 5-5 or 6-6 freeway would have been better, IMHO.

[longhorn]

Question, when they removed the old bridge supports of the old Dallas mixmaster, do they leave the concrete that's beneath the ground or does that get removed too?

[J N Winkler]

Question, when they removed the old bridge supports of the old Dallas mixmaster, do they leave the concrete that's beneath the ground or does that get removed too?

I don't have a good answer since the RFC plans made available as part of the Southern Gateway RFP do not include demolition.  I suspect the drilled shafts for the old bridge foundations are simply abandoned in place to avoid excavation that might deprive neighboring structures of lateral support, but this is just a guess.

[Bobby5280]

Yeah, those old bridge piers go down fairly deep. It would be quite a pain to dig them out of the ground. At best, I would only expect the crews grind the old piers down several inches below grade and then cover them with dirt and new sod if the old piers are in what will be grassy, landscaped areas.

[MaxConcrete]

I just posted photos of the North Tarrant Express construction project which I took the weekend before Thanksgiving

http://dfwfreeways.com/i35w/construction-2016-nov

I seem to recall seeing a news report that the project recently passed the 50% complete point.

[longhorn]

I just posted photos of the North Tarrant Express construction project which I took the weekend before Thanksgiving

http://dfwfreeways.com/i35w/construction-2016-nov

I seem to recall seeing a news report that the project recently passed the 50% complete point.

Thank you, I was wondering what kind of progress they were making. Its amazing that stretch of I-35 in urban FTW was only four lanes for so long. Especially considering the reconstruction the southern part of I35W received in the early 90s.

[longhorn]

Was looking at the construction camera for mixmaster rebuild looks like I-30 East has been rerouted on it main lanes.

[Greybear]

I was just through the Mixmaster last night. It is the westbound lanes that are onto its new main lanes. The eastbound lanes are still in the temporary path.

[txstateends]

In recent days, the downtown Dallas Horseshoe project made another change.  Now WB I-30 traffic through the canyon/Mixmaster will exit #46A, with new BGSes and different ramp arrangements.  A new left ramp will connect to I-35E SB, a set of middle lanes will connect to I-35E NB, with the right part of the split now connecting to Colorado Blvd. (this ramp had been the SB ramp to I-35E).  TxDOT still claims the project will be done later this year.

TxDOT put out this video on YT

[Chris]

A public meeting is scheduled for the expansion of 11 miles of US 80 to six lanes between I-30 in Dallas and FM 460 in Forney.

http://txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/dallas/032817.html

Proposed improvements to US 80 would widen this highway from I-30 in Dallas County to FM 460 in Kaufman County, approximately 11 miles. The proposed improvements include reconstructing and widening the existing four-lane roadway to a six-lane roadway. To accommodate the proposed improvements, ramps, bridge structures, and frontage roads would be reconstructed. Additional right of way is anticipated to be required along US 80.

[longhorn]

In recent days, the downtown Dallas Horseshoe project made another change.  Now WB I-30 traffic through the canyon/Mixmaster will exit #46A, with new BGSes and different ramp arrangements.  A new left ramp will connect to I-35E SB, a set of middle lanes will connect to I-35E NB, with the right part of the split now connecting to Colorado Blvd. (this ramp had been the SB ramp to I-35E).  TxDOT still claims the project will be done later this year.

TxDOT put out this video on YT

Latest pics
http://dallashorseshoe.com/aerial-photos-feb-2017/