DFW Projects Thread

[noelbotevera]

Project Pegasus still exist. Its just in smaller segments. Like the Horseshoe Project

It seems it had got canceled.

http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/so-wait-project-pegasus-is-dead-7104977

This Dallas Observer (source) article dates to March 3rd, 2011. This article is four years old (tad outdated), and it says TXDOT doesn't have enough money to continue the project. This is the most up to date article I found. I'll see if I can get another article.

And....I did. November 15th, 2012.

Source: Dallas Morning News

http://transportationblog.dallasnews.com/tag/project-pegasus/

Project Pegasus is officially dead. 

[MaxConcrete]

As Guysdrive780 noted, Project Pegasus may no longer exist as a single administrative umbrella, but projects are expected to proceed independently as funding becomes available, which will be possible if/when proposition 7 passes in November.

The Canyon reconstruction and widening is or will be added back into the regional plan (Mobility 2040). That means it is back to life, although construction is not imminent
http://www.keepitmovingdallas.com/sites/default/files/docs/0365_120314_The%20Canyon%20White%20Paper.pdf

The environmental process for the I-30 east corridor, which ties into the Canyon, has resumed
http://www.keepitmovingdallas.com/sites/default/files/docs/0355_112414_I-30%20%26%20US%2080%20Project.pdf

Lower Stemmons is a candidate to receive $100 million in proposition 1 money in 2017 for the construction of collector-distributor lanes

[noelbotevera]

As Guysdrive780 noted, Project Pegasus may no longer exist as a single administrative umbrella, but projects are expected to proceed independently as funding becomes available, which will be possible if/when proposition 7 passes in November.

The Canyon reconstruction and widening is or will be added back into the regional plan (Mobility 2040). That means it is back to life, although construction is not imminent
http://www.keepitmovingdallas.com/sites/default/files/docs/0365_120314_The%20Canyon%20White%20Paper.pdf

The environmental process for the I-30 east corridor, which ties into the Canyon, has resumed
http://www.keepitmovingdallas.com/sites/default/files/docs/0355_112414_I-30%20%26%20US%2080%20Project.pdf

Lower Stemmons is a candidate to receive $100 million in proposition 1 money in 2017 for the construction of collector-distributor lanes

I-45 and Dead Man's Curve (US 175 where it turns from/to S. M. Wright to C. F. Hawn Freeway) were planned to be reconstructed in Project Pegasus. However, nothing on TXDOT's website shows that they were gonna be a priority project, or else it would be on there.

[Chris]

There is a separate website for the US 175 project: http://www.smwrightproject.org/

[Henry]

I think the only concern would be that the sunken lanes will face the risk of being flooded in a bad rainstorm. Other than that, it's such a cool thing to see.

[noelbotevera]

There is a separate website for the US 175 project: http://www.smwrightproject.org/

Whoa. Whoa. They're demolishing a freeway that is the only way to go east of Dallas, then replace it with an arterial? Is TXDOT not thinking straight today? Why not just keep US 175 on a freeway through Dallas?

My solution: the connection to I-45 would become US 175, then demolish the S. M. Wright Freeway and call the arterial US 175 Business. That way, US 175 is connected with its parent in some way.

[Brian556]

They are re-routing it before tearing down the old one. The new routing will be a more logical direct connection to I-45. The current setup is a relic, and it utilizes the old US 75.

[us175]

There is a separate website for the US 175 project: http://www.smwrightproject.org/

Whoa. Whoa. They're demolishing a freeway that is the only way to go east of Dallas, then replace it with an arterial? Is TXDOT not thinking straight today? Why not just keep US 175 on a freeway through Dallas?

My solution: the connection to I-45 would become US 175, then demolish the S. M. Wright Freeway and call the arterial US 175 Business. That way, US 175 is connected with its parent in some way.

TxDOT *might* designate it as an extension of TX 310 after the conversion, but I've heard nothing of that angle, so I'm guessing it will be a city-level arterial (for now).

There's been no movement since 1988 to 'reunite' US 75 with US 175.  If there is ever a push to extend I-45 farther north, my guess is that the US 75-US 175 separation would be longer, due to the de-designations of US route overlaps with their I-counterparts in most cases in TX.

The thing that concerns me about the future/new west terminus, is that all the schematics have shown south-to-east and west-to-north ramps, nothing serving the south to/froms.  I realize the great majority of flow is what is proposed, but there should be a north-to-east/west-to-south choice for traffic there, especially if it is to be a true terminus.

[dfwmapper]

North to east and west to south ramps are unfeasible because of the Trinity (and the forest) being right there. Those movements are superfluous anyway. The neighborhood west of White Rock Creek can use Lamar or Pennsylvania to access I-45. Those east of White Rock and the Trinity use Loop 12 or I-20.

[Guysdrive780]

So I was looking for the Semitic and ROW maps for the Midtown Express. There not avaliable on the websites. But after a google search I found them on Txdot's Website. Here they are. Its well Hidden I can say that.

http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/dallas/sh183/schematics.html

After I did some investigating. I finally know how they will do the tolling system and how they will charge drivers for having 1 person in the car and not charge people with 2 or more in the car. I thought they would introduce a new devise. It just happens that you get in a lane depending on the amount of people in your car, and in the 1 person lane, you get charges and there will be a camera for that. The other lane is free. Hmm, I can't see how someone can abuse that system hmm?

I will keep digging to find 114's semantics. Just give me some time. I asked for them from Txdot myself

[noelbotevera]

Also, I think all of Loop 12 should be freeway. It's a freeway between S. Polk St. and Dallas North Tollway. That's about a third of Loop 12. It'd also give Dallas a complete beltway, since I-635, I-35E and I-20 is the beltway, and Loop 12 is just one number.

[rantanamo]

I think you meant Northwest Highway.  Good luck with ever getting any kind of freeway through Preston Hollow and the Park Cities.  Even tunnels.  Laura Miller would destroy TxDOT.

[Guysdrive780]

Also, I think all of Loop 12 should be freeway. It's a freeway between S. Polk St. and Dallas North Tollway. That's about a third of Loop 12. It'd also give Dallas a complete beltway, since I-635, I-35E and I-20 is the beltway, and Loop 12 is just one number.

Though the rich people neborhood? I wish but I am afraid that's impossible. University Park would not be in favor of that.

[noelbotevera]

I'm surprised how TxDOT can cram things in, yet they don't commit to even finish the freeway (unless that freeway portion of Loop 12 is intentionally supposed to be like that). If you can build the High Five, you can cram in a freeway. Toll it, then it's good to go. *cough* Houston *cough*

[rantanamo]

You may be able to get away with making Loop 12 a freeway south of I-30 and in the Trinity River basin, but never through North Dallas.  It runs through some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the state of Texas.  This area has rejected tunnels for light rail and a pass through.  They regularly reject high rises in areas zoned for high rises.  They've fought changes to make Northwest Highway more effecient.  They are just anti-development if it isn't suburban retail or mansion/estate building in that area. 

[dfwmapper]

The southern leg of Loop 12 would never be made into a freeway either. It's redundant with I-20 right there, plus the Trinity crossing is right near a bunch of parks and preserves and would never get past the EIS stage.

[noelbotevera]

Was it intended that Loop 12 between S Polk and DNT was supposed to be a freeway?

[rantanamo]

The southern leg of Loop 12 would never be made into a freeway either. It's redundant with I-20 right there, plus the Trinity crossing is right near a bunch of parks and preserves and would never get past the EIS stage.

The part of the Trinity Basin(West Fork) that I was talking about is where its Walton Walker.  But just from driving it often, I would say from where it branches off from Spur 408 in the west, all the way to where it hits US 175 and becomes Buckner, I see little reason that it couldn't be a freeway.  For the majority of that route, even through the Great Trinity Forest, there is a really wide ROW like it was being reserved to be a freeway in the future.  Some parts even have wide grass median and enough room for a couple of lanes of frontage.   The traffic in that area currently doesn't justify it, but that would probably be seen as a huge development opportunity.

Don't get me wrong, I think NW Highway would benefit greatly from being a freeway.  Even something small like Westpark Tollway in Houston.  The traffic on NW Highway can simply be horrendous.  Would love to see a 2+2 trench all the way from where Walton Walker ends until I-30 across North Dallas if money was no object.  Maybe have the surface street cantilevered over it like LBJ has done with the free lanes.  Obviously it would have to resurface at times, but imagine not stopping at every light. 

[Bobby5280]

I think there's other areas in Dallas more in need of freeway upgrades than Loop 12. I'd certainly like to see some of the unfinished super-highway projects in the area finished finally.

The TX-114 freeway ends at US-377 in Roanoke. The freeway really needs its main lanes extended farther West past Texas Motor Speedway, especially now that the road in front of the speedway was expanded with a median wide enough to hold a freeway. The TX-114 freeway needs to go farther West than that, over the RR tracks at FM 156 (where the current expansion ends) and past Northwest High School. Optimally, TX-114 should be a freeway all the way to the US-287 junction in Rhome. And US-287 ought to be a freeway facility at least to Decatur.

Speaking of US-287 in the Dallas area, that road really should be a complete freeway from Fort Worth to the I-45 intersection in Ennis. Most of it is Interstate quality already, but there are gaps between Mansfield and Midlothian as well as another non-freeway gap between Midlothian and Waxahachie. Some of the biggest problems are between Waxahachie and Ennis. The final bit of US-287 just before I-45 dumps down from a freeway style facility to just 2 measly lanes. It doesn't make any sense. The US-287 corridor between DFW and Amarillo is pretty busy with both long haul truck and freight rail traffic. IIRC it was eyed as a possible "I-32" in the future.

Then there's TX-360 South of Dallas. The ROW in the median is already available. They just have to build it from Sublett Rd down to the US-287 intersection. Thank goodness they built that portion of TX-360 as a 4-lane divided road with a median wide enough to hold a future freeway. There is a lot of development going on around that corridor now. If the median hadn't been preserved in the past the concept of building a freeway there now would be totally impossible. If only the lunkheads here in Oklahoma could plan ahead like that. Oklahoma City is getting stupidly boxed in at various places, making any kind of future expansions of the Kilpatrick Turnpike more and more expensive and politically problematic as development continues around Mustang, Tuttle and Norman.

[rantanamo]

I think there's other areas in Dallas more in need of freeway upgrades than Loop 12.

Loop 12 has the traffic already.  I don't think those areas need it more, but they are probably more realistic.

[noelbotevera]

TX 114 could be a freeway until the Denton/Wise county line. It would make a freeflow movement to I-35W than stoplights, and a bigger interchange.

US 287 could be freeway between I-40 and the Ellis county line.

TX 360 has the extension to US 67 proposed, but TXDOT doesn't seem to be keen on extending it...

[Brian556]

I-35E Denton Co Update:

At Corinth Pkwy and FM 407, all traffic is now on the SB new bridges over the cross street.

In Denton, on the narrow ROW section, they have cleared for a wider ROW and are about to start on the new frontage roads.

They have done a few big F*** ups recently.

An orange BGS calls FM 1515 "COUNTY 151"

The SB exit for FOX Ave was striped to suggest that you could not turn right to the jughandle for Fox Ave from the exit ramp.

[noelbotevera]

Reviving this thread. I've laid my eyes on Project Pegasus, and check out the construction camera views.

http://dallashorseshoe.com/about/project-earthcam/

Source is dallashorseshoe.com

So they update the imagery every 15 minutes (still no new imagery although it's 2:45 PM here in Chambersburg), and work is coming along nicely. They expected this to open in summer 2017, it could open earlier. Texas' freeway projects seem to always open early and under budget.

Here's the views if you went to the website:

(starting left to right)
CAM 1: I-30 just west of the Mixmaster near the McDermott. The view faces the Trinity River waterfront.
CAM 2: Bridge #38 - the McDermott Bridge facing east back towards the Mixmaster.
CAM 3: A panorama of the Mixmaster. The ramp at the far right also needs a fix, as you can see a clog of cars.
CAM 4: Left and center (I believe) is I-30. Running under is I-35E.
CAM 5: Bridge #38 - this time facing west towards Fort Worth.
CAM 6: A more zoomed out version of CAM 5. It shows I-30 running west with the Mixmaster in the bottom left corner.
CAM 7: Bridge #1-9 - I believe this is I-35E running south of the Mixmaster. Another thing could be that is a panorama of the old Trinity River bridge on I-30.
CAM 8: I think this is I-35E SB showing it running through the Mixmaster.

[MaxConcrete]

Reviving this thread. I've laid my eyes on Project Pegasus, and check out the construction camera views.
http://dallashorseshoe.com/about/project-earthcam/
Source is dallashorseshoe.com

The earthcam seems to be unavailable at this moment, but the collection of aerial photos is quite impressive
http://dallashorseshoe.com/photos/aerial-photos/

For example, this photo shows the new bridge for I-30 which will be about four times as wide as the existing bridge.

[noelbotevera]

Reviving this thread. I've laid my eyes on Project Pegasus, and check out the construction camera views.
http://dallashorseshoe.com/about/project-earthcam/
Source is dallashorseshoe.com

The earthcam seems to be unavailable at this moment, but the collection of aerial photos is quite impressive
http://dallashorseshoe.com/photos/aerial-photos/

For example, this photo shows the new bridge for I-30 which will be about four times as wide as the existing bridge.

Probably because they want it to have Texpress lanes. The clearance is too low for them to do it like I-635 did, so I think that's why it's so much wider (looks like 14 or 16 total lanes, 4 free lanes each way, 4 Texpress each way).