DFW Projects Thread

[longhorn]

At the I-35/635 interchange, the tolled overpasses are painted shades of brown, will the rest of the interchange be painted the same color too? Is the interchange due for a replacement?
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9142109,-96.8996615,3a,75y,154.44h,77.15t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s79XIFpz7PcGtP-ljxOncZQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9082772,-96.8973217,3a,75y,68.12h,90.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sT8jllq6fVjOAykcnt0VzPg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9069916,-96.8981065,3a,60y,1.36h,91.91t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVDWgJU6DhBBGoWLFrIoqsg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The mix of brown paint and non brown is odd.

[txstateends]

New Horseshoe (I-30/I-35E interchange) lane change update:::::

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20160616-just-when-you-figured-outi-30-i-35e-txdot-moves-your-lanes-again.ece

Effective today,
* Be in the left lane for I-35E continuing SB
* Be in the middle lane for I-35E SB to I-30 EB

Effective Saturday,
* Be in the right lane on I-30 continuing EB (not the left lane anymore) before you get to the Margaret McDermott Bridge.  This will lead to the lane arrangement at the east end of the bridge, of I-30 EB to I-35E NB using the left lane, the Commerce St. exit using the center lane, while those continuing EB on I-30 will take the right lane.

Also this weekend,
* On I-30 EB, the exit ramp to Beckley Ave. and the entrance ramp from Sylvan Ave. will change places.  The exit to Beckley will come up before the entrance from Sylvan will.

[MaxConcrete]

Photos taken today


July 4 Special: SH 183 at Loop 12, the Midtown Express project
Highres: https://1968d90e831cd27d2017897e0c81e9a12852eb10.googledrive.com/host/0B4gwdXQk1LyieHZHSTBqd0VJSnc/sh183/construction/20160702_03-0264-2560.jpg


July 4 Special: SH 183 at Loop 12, the Midtown Express project
Highres https://1968d90e831cd27d2017897e0c81e9a12852eb10.googledrive.com/host/0B4gwdXQk1LyieHZHSTBqd0VJSnc/sh183/construction/20160702_03-0294-2560.jpg


IH-35E at SH 121/Rayburn Tollway
Highres https://1968d90e831cd27d2017897e0c81e9a12852eb10.googledrive.com/host/0B4gwdXQk1LyieHZHSTBqd0VJSnc/i35e-north/construction/20160702_03-0137-2560.jpg


Looking west along the abandoned original IH-30 main lanes, which are in the process of being demolished. At the west end, a section of eastbound lanes are already gone. In the highres view you can see the unusual design of the lampposts.
Highres https://1968d90e831cd27d2017897e0c81e9a12852eb10.googledrive.com/host/0B4gwdXQk1LyieHZHSTBqd0VJSnc/i30-dallas/construction/20160702_03-0353-2560.jpg

More Horseshoe construction photos
http://www.dfwfreeways.com/i30-dallas/construction-horseshoe

[MaxConcrete]

The north arch structure is now complete





http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20160722-downtown-dallas-newest-signature-bridge-finally-gets-its-second-arch.ece

"Construction crews early Friday capped the second arch on the new Margaret McDermott Bridge, which is where Interstate 30 now spans the Trinity River. The 350-foot-high twin arches sit on either side of the highway bridge, above what will eventually be pedestrian and bicycle paths. Between them will be the new I-30 main lanes and managed lanes.

"The bridge is part of the ongoing, $800 million Horseshoe Project, a rebuild of where I-30 and Interstate 35E come together downtown. The entire project is expected to be completed next year. The second arch still lacks cables that connect its steel curves to the actual bridge span."

[Chris]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20160729-i-30-toll-lanes-from-grand-prairie-to-dallas-opening-monday-to-commuters.ece

The unused reversible lane in the median of I-30 from Grande Prairie to Dallas will be put into operation next Monday.

According to Google Earth historical imagery, some portions of the reversible pavement was already built over 15 years ago, for example 2001 imagery around MacArthur Blvd already shows the express lanes.

[txstateends]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20160729-i-30-toll-lanes-from-grand-prairie-to-dallas-opening-monday-to-commuters.ece

The unused reversible lane in the median of I-30 from Grand Prairie to Dallas will be put into operation next Monday.

According to Google Earth historical imagery, some portions of the reversible pavement was already built over 15 years ago, for example 2001 imagery around MacArthur Blvd already shows the express lanes.

This is the first time in almost 40 years that tolls will be charged on any part of I-30 between Dallas and Fort Worth (since the tollbooths were removed marking the end of the DFW Turnpike era).

[wxfree]

The company rebuilding I-35W in northern Tarrant County wants to extend the project all the way across the county.  I believe this, or some of it, would require legislative authorization for a comprehensive development agreement, and NTTA would have the right to take the project if they wanted it (although they've refused all managed lanes projects).  The southern portion could compete with Chisholm Trail Parkway for toll payers, or allow drivers to avoid tolls on the less congested free lanes.  The proposeded expansion of the project also includes more access to and from the managed lanes at I-30 and downtown.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/traffic/your-commute/article93561727.html

[Chris]

What's the reason that the NTTA doesn't do managed lanes?

[wxfree]

What's the reason that the NTTA doesn't do managed lanes?

I have no idea.  I'd be interested to find out.  The videos of the meetings don't go back very far.  It would be nice to hear the discussions when they refused these projects.

[dfwmapper]

NTTA pools all the money and risk for all their roads together. Taking on another billion or two in debt for an unproven mechanism like express lanes would hurt their ability to build projects they actually want, like extensions of DNT, PGBT, and SH 360, and if traffic volumes didn't meet the projections, they'd still be on the hook for that money. Better to let Cintra (or anyone dumb enough to buy bonds from the shell company Cintra set up, anyway) eat it.

[wxfree]

This month's NTTA board meeting agenda includes: "Vendor selection for the following: A. Environmental engineering services on the President George Bush Turnpike Western Extension third lane widening project from IH 20 to IH 30."

I don't know how long it might take for this vendor selection to lead to actual construction, but the movement toward widening the road is beginning.  The bridges are wide enough for six lanes.

As a side note, the agenda also includes official approval of the speed limit increases on Chisholm Trail Parkway, discussed elsewhere.

[txstateends]

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2016/08/30/first-of-1-3b-in-congestion-relief-projects.html

A postponed part of the DFW Connector work is about to get going, affecting mainly the TX 121/TX 360 interchange and the connections nearest to it.

[MaxConcrete]

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2016/08/30/first-of-1-3b-in-congestion-relief-projects.html

A postponed part of the DFW Connector work is about to get going, affecting mainly the TX 121/TX 360 interchange and the connections nearest to it.

Apparently they can launch the project under the existing design-build contract, and no bidding process is needed. The DFW Connector was completed in 2013, so I'm surprised the original contract was still in play. But it did allow a quick start. I wasn't expecting work to begin until next year.

[longhorn]

http://dallashorseshoe.com/aerial-photos-aug-2016/

Latest pics of the Horshoe are up, almost all of the old bridges are gone.

[txstateends]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20160907-it-s-done-new-i-35e-bridge-over-lewisville-lake-opens-to-southbound-drivers-saturday.ece

The replacement I-35E SB bridge spanning Lake Lewisville is finished, and will open Saturday.

[longhorn]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/20160907-it-s-done-new-i-35e-bridge-over-lewisville-lake-opens-to-southbound-drivers-saturday.ece

The replacement I-35E SB bridge spanning Lake Lewisville is finished, and will open Saturday.

So the original bridge pictured on the right will stay and be converted to all northbound lanes? Odd, but it will save money.

[Brian556]

My understanding is that the original bridge will carry northbound lanes for now, but will be replaced during phase II of the project, whenever they get the $$$ together for it.

[Chris]

A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday for the SH 199 upgrade between Fort Worth and Azle. Construction won't start until early 2017 though. They will construct the main lanes at two locations where traffic currently uses the frontage roads (Nine Mile Bridge Road & Hanger Cut-Off). They also mention something about Western Center Boulevard, I'm not sure where that is.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/traffic/your-commute/article109133122.html

[Bobby5280]

The TX-199 corridor NW of Fort Worth is something of a cluster****. Looking at it from Google Earth/Maps it's easy to tell the original ambition building was a complete freeway from I-820 in Fort Worth to some point past Azle toward Jacksboro. Instead the road turned into a piece-meal mix of freeway segments and frontage roads with freeway-wide medians, with small segments of freeway finished only when the political winds blew in that direction. Politics and business demands allowed encroachment of the potential freeway's right of way in a few places.

Next to I-820 a bunch of businesses went up in an area on the South side of TX-199 in space that seems originally intended to hold a freeway to freeway interchange. The freeway-wide median on TX-199 was preserved West of the intersection with Paul Meador Road. A bunch of businesses are built East of that intersection leading to I-820.

There is still a pretty large open space available for a freeway interchange for TX-199 and I-820. But several businesses make such a thing a very tight squeeze: Braums, Kwik Kar Lube, O'Reilly Auto Parts and a Car Wash, Lube & Detail business. I don't know if those businesses would have to be demolished or if ramps could span around or over the top of them, kind of like a couple ramps at the TX-121 & TX-114 interchange in Grapevine. If the main lanes were elevated and literally straddled over the intersection of NW Center Drive and the South TX-199 Access Road it might work. Still, Braums at the very least might have to be demolished to make room.

At some point TX DOT will have to deal with that interchange project.

[rte66man]

A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday for the SH 199 upgrade between Fort Worth and Azle. Construction won't start until early 2017 though. They will construct the main lanes at two locations where traffic currently uses the frontage roads (Nine Mile Bridge Road & Hanger Cut-Off). They also mention something about Western Center Boulevard, I'm not sure where that is.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/traffic/your-commute/article109133122.html

I think it's this one:



The road to the south is NW Center Blvd.

[Bobby5280]

They could have meant NW Center Drive. That is the closest thing to "Western Center Blvd" in that area. $56 million seems like a pretty cheap price (relatively speaking) for a project that appears at first glance to fill in at least 2 of 3 frontage road only sections of Jacksboro Highway up to Azle with new freeway. There is no additional ROW needed for the project since there is more than enough space in the median for new freeway lanes. But the article only mentions bridges and ramps for "Western Center Boulevard," Hanger Cut-Off and Nine Mile Bridge. That has me wondering if they're just going to add a 3rd lane to the frontage roads along these non-freeway quality segments and only add maybe 2 more freeway style exits.

If all the non-freeway, frontage road only segments are going to be upgraded to full freeway standards more bridges would be needed. Between NW Center Blvd and the Lake Worth waterway bridge new highway bridges for the main lanes would be needed over Charbonneu Road, Telephone Road, Merrett Drive and Hodgkins Road as well as possibly at least a Northwest bound bridge just before the Lake Worth waterway.

One thing is certain, the other TX-199 project East of the Western Center Blvd intersection, an interchange between TX-199 and I-820, would cost a whole lot more than $56 million.

[Brian556]

FM 544 is being reconstructed/widened from FM 2281 to Dozier Rd. It is being slightly realigned at the KCS RR, and its profile is changing significantly in that area.

In this pic you can see the end of the new bridge way off to the left of the current roadway

[txstateends]

FM 544 is being reconstructed/widened from FM 2281 to Dozier Rd. It is being slightly realigned at the KCS RR, and its profile is changing significantly in that area.

In this pic you can see the end of the new bridge way off to the left of the current roadway

It will look so strange to see this part of FM 544 widened.  Growing up partially in north TX, I remember the days when all of FM 544 was like the width in the picture, except for the part in central and near-central Plano.  With this project, almost all the farm-to-market look will be gone.

With all the development that has happened along/nearthe FM 544 corridor over the years, I'm almost surprised more wasn't done sooner.

[Chris]

The eight-laning of the President George Bush Turnpike was completed earlier this week (Dallas North Tollway to US 75)

http://www.drivingnorthtexas.com/new-lanes-of-president-george-bush-turnpike-open-to-traffic/

[Road Hog]

Any word on when they're going to extend the DNT over US 380? That'll be a game-changer for a lot of commuters. East-west as well as north-south because of the current surface intersection that backs up traffic in all four directions.