Denton, TX: New Signal for Bucees Causes Major Frontage Road Congestion

[Brian556]

Anybody with any kind of engineering sense would know that this would happen. Frontage road volumes are very high at this location due to traffic exiting to LOOP 288 passing through this intersection northbound, and traffic coming from LOOP 288 going to SB IH35E also has to past through before raching an entrance ramp. Makes me wonder if Bucees paid off somebody in order to get the underpass to make their business more accessible. The correct way to go about this would have been to have the frontage roads bridge over Brinker Rd/ Bucees Blvd, with jughangle ramps that have free right turns onto the frontage roads

Google Maps, which is out of date, shows land available for a jughandle on the SE side, but on the Bucees side, it looks like they are developing all the land, leaving no room for one

Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.1829263,-97.09725,1442m/data=!3m1!1e3
DRC Article: https://dentonrc.com/news/insight-denton-can-anything-be-done-about-the-traffic-signal/article_5a999d15-d180-5317-975f-082b57183a63.html

[Chris]

Google Earth has somewhat newer imagery available (November 26, 2018):

[Bobby5280]

This zone of I-35E is still under construction and looks like it has a long way to go before completion. The current I-35E ramp situation near the intersection with Lillian Miller Parkway (TX-288) is not good. Access from TX-288 to I-35E Southbound is downright ridiculous. Drivers have to go a FULL MILE along the Southbound frontage road before finally reaching an on-ramp to I-35E SB. There is no excuse for that. It makes me wonder why Buc-ee's chose that particular site for their Denton location.

What is badly needed in the final configuration: braided on/off ramps between I-35E and the frontage roads. TX-288 traffic headed for Dallas on I-35E would no longer have to drive past Buc-cee's on the frontage road before finding an on ramp.

Considering the very high profile/high traffic level location and the scope of the I-35E expansion project, braided on/off ramps would be a no-brainer to add closer to the TX-288 intersection. Hell, Kell Freeway in Wichita Falls has some braided on/off ramps between the freeway and frontage roads and that Kell Freeway has nowhere near the traffic levels of I-35E. Buc-ee's is tremendously popular. Until TX DOT addresses the situation with the traffic bottle-necks along that frontage road are going to continue long term. Every Buc-cee's I've visited has been very busy, even years after opening.

[In_Correct]

In other words there needs to be an on ramp from the frontage road to Interstate 35E Southeast Bound, and an off ramp from Interstate 35E Northwest Bound, between The Buccee's Exit and the Loop 288 Exit. The ramps in that area needs to be reconfigured into the X Ramps.

Every of these Interstate 35 East Frontage Road Ramps need to be reconfigured into the X Ramps, but I will start at Teasley Lane.

Between Teasley Lane and U.S. 77, Google Maps shows there are two off ramps Interstate 35E Southeast Bound. One is Exit 463, a very long off ramp. The other one looks like it is going to be removed. While Exit 463 Off Ramp is a very nice long Off Ramp, it needs to be reconfigured to a very nice long On Ramp, with the very long Off Ramp to the Frontage Road added directly before it. After Loop 288, there can be an Off Ramp to the frontage road, which would make plenty of room for an On Ramp to Interstate 35E Southeast bound before Buc-ee's Boulevard. Loop 288 to Interstate 35E would not need to stop at Buc-ee's Boulevard (or Buc-ee's) ... But why would they want to? I stop at Buc-ee's before returning to Interstate 35E. Buc-ee's has NON Ethanol Fuel and Diesel Exhaust Fluid.

Some thing else that could be a problem is U.S. 77 ramp to Interstate 35E Southwest Bound is in the middle of The Interstate. The ramp is located in the center (and fastest) lane.

If the Braided Slip X Ramps are added, they would have to reconfigure Interstate 35E Northwest Bound to go under U.S. 77 Southeast Bound (not over it).

and then reconfigure Interstate 35E Southeast Bound would have to be right next to Interstate 35E Northwest Bound (with a wall in between them).

Interstate 35E Southeast bound would also have to go under U.S. 77 Southeast Bound.

U.S. 77 Southeast Bound would have to join the Frontage Road X Slip On Ramp.

[Stephane Dumas]

What is badly needed in the final configuration: braided on/off ramps between I-35E and the frontage roads. TX-288 traffic headed for Dallas on I-35E would no longer have to drive past Buc-cee's on the frontage road before finding an on ramp.

You mean Loop-288 unless TX-288 was extended without fanfare from Houston to the DFW Metroplex.