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DFW Projects Thread

Started by austrini, July 06, 2009, 04:12:16 PM

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In_Correct

It is about time for Increased Roadway Capacity to happen on U.S. 377, and a grade separation for the rail line.
Drive Safely. :sombrero: Ride Safely. And Build More Roads, Rails, And Bridges. :coffee: ... Boulevards Wear Faster Than Interstates.


txstateends

2 different incidents involving separating pavement on I-35E in Carrollton in the last week.  One was between Crosby and Belt Line, the other south of the Whitlock-Sandy Lake exit.  Both are NB in the area that was redone in the last year or so between I-635 and Denton.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Surface-of-I-35E-in-Carrollton-Separating-Several-Crashes-Reported-497753201.html
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rte66man

Quote from: txstateends on October 17, 2018, 05:36:04 AM
2 different incidents involving separating pavement on I-35E in Carrollton in the last week.  One was between Crosby and Belt Line, the other south of the Whitlock-Sandy Lake exit.  Both are NB in the area that was redone in the last year or so between I-635 and Denton.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Surface-of-I-35E-in-Carrollton-Separating-Several-Crashes-Reported-497753201.html

Used both the express lanes and the regular NB lanes.  IMO, neither are up to what should be a minimum pavement standard for a road with that much traffic.
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

J N Winkler

Quote from: rte66man on October 17, 2018, 10:25:18 PMUsed both the express lanes and the regular NB lanes.  IMO, neither are up to what should be a minimum pavement standard for a road with that much traffic.

I was on I-35E northbound last Friday, returning home from a few days in Dallas, and felt I was taking my life in my hands--no left shoulder, heavy rain, and local drivers acting like cars are disposable (get in a wreck, walk away, go to Sewall or Walser and sign the papers on a replacement).
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

longhorn


txstateends

For those driving around north TX over the coming weekend:::::

As a part of the interchange redo at I-30/TX 360 in Arlington, the SB TX 360 service road bridge will be demolished during the weekend.  During the demo, I-30 will be closed between Friday (Nov 9) at 7pm, and Monday (Nov 12) at 5am.  The official detour will be, turn from WB I-30 to TX 161-Bush Turnpike SB (the east end of the I-30 closure) to TX 180, then right (west).  On TX 180 at FM 157 NB, turn right.  At I-30/FM 157 (the west end of the I-30 closure), turn left to get back on I-30.  EB I-30 traffic must go the other way to get back to I-30 and past the closure and demolition.

http://www.arlington-tx.gov/news/2018/11/05/traffic-alert-interstate-30-closure-arlington-weekend/

Sounds like a mess.  Glad I'm not having to maneuver through all that diverted traffic.  Fortunately, those passing by Jerry's monstrosity (IOW, AT&T Stadium) during the detour won't have to deal with game traffic--the Cowboys are playing the Eagles in Philadelphia this weekend.
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longhorn



AsphaltPlanet

Yeah, the 183 construction is done now.

You can see the finished interchange from the perspective of Loop 12 from near the end of this video done of I-35W:

AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

txstateends

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on December 11, 2018, 07:33:14 AM
Yeah, the 183 construction is done now.

You can see the finished interchange from the perspective of Loop 12 from near the end of this video done of I-35W:



Actually you were on (and this video is of) I-35E, but who's counting?  Great video, though.
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txstateends

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In_Correct

Drive Safely. :sombrero: Ride Safely. And Build More Roads, Rails, And Bridges. :coffee: ... Boulevards Wear Faster Than Interstates.

AsphaltPlanet

Quote from: txstateends on December 11, 2018, 07:47:15 PM
Actually you were on (and this video is of) I-35E, but who's counting?  Great video, though.

You're right of course.  I just meant that because I finished on Loop 12 which was widened as part of the 183 construction it was sorta relevant.  Sorta at best though.

I drove 183 in both directions the week in November when I filmed the above video.  The construction had been fully completed in both directions.  It looked great to me when I visited.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

txstateends

A proposal will be presented Monday afternoon to the mobility committee of the Dallas City Council, regarding plans to redo I-30 from downtown east to past the Fair Park area.  The 45-page .pdf includes initial drawings and plans.  In this plan, I-30 would be below grade all the way east to the Dolphin Road exit.  Multiple deck parks are envisioned, downtown specifically, although previous talk about deck parks on I-30 included a desire to have one in the First/Second Avenue exit area between Deep Ellum and Fair Park.  This proposal backs service roads that are landscaped in a "complete streets" format rather than plain, multi-lane versions for faster traffic flow (like TxDOT wants).  Part of this proposal sneaks in the desire to have whatever will be done with I-345, done concurrently with the I-30 work.  Nothing is said about what kind of $$$$$$ would be needed to do both (and whether TxDOT would agree to doing both at the same time), nor the traffic mess that doing both together would create.  No potential timeline for any of this is mentioned, either.

https://dallascityhall.com/government/Council%20Meeting%20Documents/msis_3_i-30-east-project-update_combined_012819.pdf
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MaxConcrete

The item that concerns me is Guiding Principle #3 "New I-30 should not be any higher or any wider than the current I-30". This would preclude right-of-way acquisition, and probably limit lane additions and/or increase cost. This same policy was applied to the LBJ North toll lanes, and it probably added around $1 billion to the project cost for the double-deck facility with one level below grade.
www.DFWFreeways.com
www.HoustonFreeways.com

AsphaltPlanet

I uploaded a video this weekend of I-35W through Forth Worth.  This video was filmed in November, so the express lanes along the corridor are mostly, but not entirely, completed:

AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

In_Correct

Quote from: txstateends on January 26, 2019, 05:16:59 AM
A proposal will be presented Monday afternoon to the mobility committee of the Dallas City Council, regarding plans to redo I-30 from downtown east to past the Fair Park area.  The 45-page .pdf includes initial drawings and plans.  In this plan, I-30 would be below grade all the way east to the Dolphin Road exit.  Multiple deck parks are envisioned, downtown specifically, although previous talk about deck parks on I-30 included a desire to have one in the First/Second Avenue exit area between Deep Ellum and Fair Park.  This proposal backs service roads that are landscaped in a "complete streets" format rather than plain, multi-lane versions for faster traffic flow (like TxDOT wants).  Part of this proposal sneaks in the desire to have whatever will be done with I-345, done concurrently with the I-30 work.  Nothing is said about what kind of $$$$$$ would be needed to do both (and whether TxDOT would agree to doing both at the same time), nor the traffic mess that doing both together would create.  No potential timeline for any of this is mentioned, either.

https://dallascityhall.com/government/Council%20Meeting%20Documents/msis_3_i-30-east-project-update_combined_012819.pdf

Quote from: MaxConcrete on January 26, 2019, 09:15:31 AM
The item that concerns me is Guiding Principle #3 "New I-30 should not be any higher or any wider than the current I-30". This would preclude right-of-way acquisition, and probably limit lane additions and/or increase cost. This same policy was applied to the LBJ North toll lanes, and it probably added around $1 billion to the project cost for the double-deck facility with one level below grade.

They have Trenched S.H. 366 for the silly Klyde Warren Park.

So if they are going to Trench The Interstate 30, and provide it with the expensive Deck Parks also,

they can do the same thing for The Unfinished Corridor!

The Unfinished Corridor Bridge is mostly a necessary interchange with The Interstate 30, a grade separation for several rail lines, and a few roads in between them.

Deck Park(s) would make sense in this area. Those local roads are much too close together. It would be very easy to put several Deck Parks in between these roads.
Drive Safely. :sombrero: Ride Safely. And Build More Roads, Rails, And Bridges. :coffee: ... Boulevards Wear Faster Than Interstates.

longhorn

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on January 27, 2019, 06:03:33 PM
I uploaded a video this weekend of I-35W through Forth Worth.  This video was filmed in November, so the express lanes along the corridor are mostly, but not entirely, completed:



Is the I-30 to I-35W North tollway connection open now? At 2:42.

Bobby5280

Google Earth imagery is dated 11/25/2018 for much of Fort Worth. Exit 15C on Westbound I-30 will connect with the new toll lanes on I-35W Northbound. It kind of twins up with US-287 to get there however. The direct connect flyover ramp from I-30 Eastbound to the I-35W Northbound toll lanes was still under construction in that Google Earth imagery. I would be surprised if it is open by now.

I'm a bit disappointed the "free" lanes on I-35W don't have more lanes. I think a 2-2T-2T-2 configuration is a little dopey. It's not doing much to add capacity. It's like they copied the I-820 concept over to I-35W. TX-183 farther East is a little more odd for its single lane toll lanes. It would really suck to pay extra to drive on one of those "Lexus lanes" only to get stuck behind a slow poke and not be able to pass.

txstateends

Quote from: In_Correct on January 28, 2019, 09:18:57 AM

They have Trenched S.H. 366 for the silly Klyde Warren Park.

Actually, Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Frwy.) was already built like it was when it finally opened in the early 1980s.  It wasn't trenched for the deck park, the deck park was a more recent idea.

And apparently, there are many hundreds to thousands of visitors each year that would not consider the park "silly".  Now, the amount of $$$$$ that people donated for it might approach a silly level, but overall, it has been a huge success.
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txstateends

Quote from: txstateends on January 26, 2019, 05:16:59 AM
A proposal will be presented Monday afternoon to the mobility committee of the Dallas City Council, regarding plans to redo I-30 from downtown east to past the Fair Park area.  The 45-page .pdf includes initial drawings and plans.  In this plan, I-30 would be below grade all the way east to the Dolphin Road exit.  Multiple deck parks are envisioned, downtown specifically, although previous talk about deck parks on I-30 included a desire to have one in the First/Second Avenue exit area between Deep Ellum and Fair Park.  This proposal backs service roads that are landscaped in a "complete streets" format rather than plain, multi-lane versions for faster traffic flow (like TxDOT wants).  Part of this proposal sneaks in the desire to have whatever will be done with I-345, done concurrently with the I-30 work.  Nothing is said about what kind of $$$$$$ would be needed to do both (and whether TxDOT would agree to doing both at the same time), nor the traffic mess that doing both together would create.  No potential timeline for any of this is mentioned, either.

https://dallascityhall.com/government/Council%20Meeting%20Documents/msis_3_i-30-east-project-update_combined_012819.pdf

Quote from: MaxConcrete on January 26, 2019, 09:15:31 AM
The item that concerns me is Guiding Principle #3 "New I-30 should not be any higher or any wider than the current I-30". This would preclude right-of-way acquisition, and probably limit lane additions and/or increase cost. This same policy was applied to the LBJ North toll lanes, and it probably added around $1 billion to the project cost for the double-deck facility with one level below grade.

The City of Dallas makes their view of the I-30 proposal officially known.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2019/01/28/dallas-city-hall-beats-back-txdots-early-plans-30s-13-billion-makeover
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/01/city-finds-its-voice-pushes-back-on-txdots-awful-i-30-redesign/
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Plutonic Panda

Quote from: MaxConcrete on January 26, 2019, 09:15:31 AM
The item that concerns me is Guiding Principle #3 "New I-30 should not be any higher or any wider than the current I-30". This would preclude right-of-way acquisition, and probably limit lane additions and/or increase cost. This same policy was applied to the LBJ North toll lanes, and it probably added around $1 billion to the project cost for the double-deck facility with one level below grade.
I get your point about the costs but it is time we rethink our freeways and how they're designed. We should have more compact facilities that can still contain many lanes for cars while having a smaller footprint, width wise that is. The end result of the LBJ construction is, IMO, one of the nicest stretches of urban freeway in the world.

txstateends

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Bobby5280

#523
At least it sounds like they're not talking about complete freeway removal. I'm all for decking over a newly re-built I-345 and I-30 if it's possible and doesn't take away the opportunity to add more lanes.

Quote from: Plutonic PandaI get your point about the costs but it is time we rethink our freeways and how they're designed. We should have more compact facilities that can still contain many lanes for cars while having a smaller footprint, width wise that is. The end result of the LBJ construction is, IMO, one of the nicest stretches of urban freeway in the world.

Vehicle lanes need to stay at least 12' wide. I really hate freeway lanes to be any more narrow than that. When the lane widths get trimmed to 11' or 10' it's easy to feel like you're going to trade paint with other vehicles, especially if you're driving a pickup truck or SUV. Americans love larger vehicles. American car companies don't do so well selling passenger cars. And even foreign car companies are relying more on truck and SUV sales. Skinny lanes don't fit with that. Freeways need inner and outer shoulders too.

That geometry adds up to making roads wider. If there is no room for the ROW to go wider then the freeway will have to be split in multiple levels. The easiest thing to do is stack one road deck on top of another. It's more difficult and much more expensive to tunnel downward. In the case of I-30 I don't know if they can do that. The tolled express lanes on LBJ Freeway were able to go above and below the I-635 main lanes. The underground segments aren't near any rivers. I-30 in downtown Dallas is not far from the Trinity River and it crosses White Rock Creek a little East of downtown. The may complicate the need of adding lanes/capacity while not "going any higher" than existing I-30.

AsphaltPlanet

I wonder if this design is a reflection of the fact that what the City of Dallas is proposing isn't reasonable in the eyes of TxDOT engineers.

I agree in principal that freeways in urban corridors should be kept within as minimal a footprint as possible, but Interstate 30 is an important road, more important in an inter-regional perspective than either I-635 or US-75.

It might not be feasible to maintain the exact footprint and elevation as the existing highway in all locations, so TxDOT may have deliberately proposed something that is outlandish to the city in order to make a compromise at something that is more sensible to all parties in the future.

Just my two cents.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.



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