Interstate 45 North - Ennis to Dallas

Turning northwest, IH 45 & U.S. 287 progress into the town of Alma. Exit 246 links the freeway with the east end of FM 1183 in one half mile.

03/20/05

FM 1183 constitutes an 8.22 mile loop from Alma west to Oak Grove and north to U.S. 287 Business in Ennis.

03/20/05

U.S. 287 splits from IH 45 at a trumpet interchange (Exit 247) and goes northwest to Fort Worth via Waxahachie.

03/20/05

Mostly as a limited access highway, U.S. 287 provides a four lane corridor northwest from Ennis to IH 35E at Waxahachie, Midlothian, Mansfield and IH 20 at Arlington.

03/20/05

Forthcoming Business Loop I-45G branches northwest from IH 45 along Kaufman Street to the Ennis city center.

03/20/05

FM 85 connects with IH 45 at the split diamond interchange (Exit 249) with Business Loop I-45G. FM 85 leads 24.53 miles east from Ennis to SH 274 and SH 334 at Seven Points.

03/20/05

BI-45G follows former U.S. 75 through Ennis along a 4.44 mile course to Exit 253.

03/20/05

FM 1181 (Creechville Road) stems east a half mile from SH 34 (Lake Bardwell Drive) and Business Loop I-45 (Kaufman Street) in Ennis to IH 45 at Exit 251. The FM road forms a 15.18 mile loop east to Oil Field Road and north to SH 34.

03/20/05

SH 34 overlaps with Business Loop I-45F (Kaufman Street) north to U.S. 287 Business (Ennis Avenue) in Downtown Ennis. The state highway turns east to a commercialized diamond interchange (Exit 251B) with Interstate 45.

03/20/05

Beyond Ennis, SH 34 west leads to Italy along U.S. 77/IH 35E and east to Kaufman before it turning north to Terrell.

03/20/05

Business Loop BI-45G (Kaufman Street) rejoins IH 45 at Exit 253 opposite Christian Road.

03/20/05

FM 879 and SS 469 (Old Dallas Highway) converge with IH 45 at Exit 255 and the north end of Ennis.

03/20/05

FM 879 angles southwest into the town of Garrett and then back northward en route to FM 878 at Waxahachie. SS 469 follows a 1.93 mile section of old U.S 75 south back into Ennis.

03/20/05

Leading away from Ennis, IH 45 was directly built over old U.S. 75 northward to the town of Palmer. The former highway emerges from the freeway at Exit 258 as Business Loop I-45H along Dallas Street.

03/20/05

BI-45H (Dallas Street) stays west of IH 45 along a 2.33 mile route through the Palmer business district.

03/20/05

FM 813 is Jefferson Street in Palmer. FM 813 starts at FM 878 in Waxahachie and goes east to FM 660 near Bristol.

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Exit 260 follows from IH 45 north beyond the Jefferson Street overpass for the frontage road ahead of the returning Business Loop I-45 (Dallas Street).

03/20/05

The original 1961 freeway along IH 45 north from Ennis to Dallas was reconstructed into a six lane configuration to meet modern standards. Exit 262 departs north of Brushy Creek for the frontage road at Matt Road.

03/20/05

SL 561 (Trumbull Road) separates from IH 45 along old U.S. 75 through the community of Trumbull.

03/20/05

Exit 263A joins the freeway service road ahead of Newton Road, which links to SS 561. SS 561 returns to IH 45 in 1.04 miles at Exit 263B.

03/20/05

Crossing Bear Creek, IH 45 advances north to the split with BI-45J (Central Street) into the city of Ferris. Business Loop I-45 lines a 3.37 mile section of old U.S. 75.

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Continuing into Ferris, IH 45 meets FM 660 (8th Street) at Exit 266.

03/20/05

FM 660 originates from BI-45J (Center Street) in Ferris and leads south 16.65 miles to Bristol and SH 34.

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Exit 267 connects with the freeway service road beyond 5th Street in Ferris.

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Crossing into Dallas County along IH 45, one mile south of Exit 268 for Malloy Bridge Road.

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Business Loop I-45 from Ferris concludes at IH 45 just north of Tenmile Creek at Malloy Bridge Road and Exit 268.

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Exit 269 is the first of four exits along Interstate 45 northbound for the city of Wilmer.

03/20/05

The diamond interchange (Exit 269) with Mars Road serves a warehouse and two distribution centers on the south side of Wilmer.

03/20/05

Interchange sequence sign posted 0.75 miles ahead of the diamond interchange (Exit 270) with Belt Line Road.

03/20/05

Exit 270 departs IH 45 north of the Mars Road overpass. Belt Line Road forms a 96 mile loop encircling Dallas. Locally the road connects Wilmer with Seagoville to the northeast and Lancaster to the west.

03/20/05

Continuing north through Ferris, Exit 271 joins IH 45 with Pleasant Run Road in a quarter mile.

03/20/05

Pleasant Run Road heads west to suburban development and the city of Lancaster and east by warehouses and distribution centers in Wilmer to Post Oak Road.

03/20/05

Fulgham Road crosses paths with IH 45 along the Wilmer and Hutchins city line. As IH 45 enters the suburban area of Dallas, fewer FM roads are found.

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Exit 272 leaves IH 45 north for Fulgham Road and the Union Pacific Dallas Intermodal Terminal.

03/20/05

The ensuing 3.4 miles of IH 45 head through Hutchins.

03/20/05

Wintergreen Road joins IH 45 with additional warehouses and distribution centers.

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Cloverleaf ramps join the IH 45 service roads with Wintergreen Road at Exit 273.

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IH 45 splits with old U.S. 75 (SH 310) just ahead of IH 20 in two miles.

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A split diamond interchange (Exit 274) links IH 45 with Palestine Street west and Dowdy Ferry Road east in Hutchins.

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SH 310 separates from a wye interchange (Exit 275) along the old Central Expressway to south Dallas.

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SH 310 (Central Expressway) parallels IH 45 north 6.74 miles from Hutchins to U.S. 175 (C.F. Hawn Freeway) in Dallas.

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IH 45 and IH 20 converge at a four level interchange (Exit 276) just beyond SH 310 (Central Expressway).

03/20/05

IH 20 runs along the south side of Dallas westward to Grand Prairie, Arlington and south Fort Worth.

03/20/05

The section of freeway from the split with SH 310 north to IH 30/345 at Downtown Dallas was the last section of IH 45 built. It was constructed between 1971 and 1975.

03/20/05

IH 20 forms part of a half beltway encircling Dallas along with IH 635 (Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway) north from Balch Springs to Mesquite, Garland and Richardson.

03/20/05

The remaining miles and exits along IH 45 northbound fall within the city of Dallas. Departing next is Exit 277 for Simpson Stuart Road.

03/20/05

Loop 12 constitutes an arterial belt route around Dallas within the freeway loop formed by IH 20 and IH 635. Loop 12 and IH 45 meet at a cloverleaf interchange (Exit 279) west of the Trinity River.

03/20/05

Loop 12 (Ledbetter Drive) continues west from Exit 279B to IH 35E, U.S. 67 (Martin D. Love Freeway) and Dallas Executive Airport (RBD).

03/20/05

Illinois Avenue branches northwest from the adjacent Central Expressway (SH 310) to the Cedar Crest neighborhood. Exit 280 constitutes a two pronged ramp from northbound IH 45 to both Illinois Avenue west and Linfield Street.

03/20/05

Following the Trinity River, the Julius Schepps Freeway (IH 45) bee lines north toward Downtown Dallas. Started in 2015, the SM Wright Project realigns U.S. 175 to meet IH 45 directly with flyovers built south of Lamar Street. The former U.S. 175 freeway north from SH 310 will be subsequently demolished and converted to a tree line boulevard.

03/20/05

Exit 283B drops onto the Julius Schepps Freeway frontage road for Pennsylvania Avenue and parallel Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the South Boulevard / Park Road community and Fair Park.

03/20/05

IH 45 navigates along an elevated S-curve to the four level interchange (Exit 284A) with IH 30 and U.S. 75 (IH 345) by Downtown Dallas and Deep Ellum.

10/21/03

The IH 45 ends while the freeway continues north as unsigned IH 345 and U.S. 75. IH 345 underlays U.S. 75 between Downtown Dallas and Deep Ellum to SS 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) and the Central Expressway leading north to McKinney and Sherman.

10/21/03

IH 30 runs along the south side of Downtown Dallas by the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas to IH 35W and the Margaret McDermott Bridge spanning the Trinity River. Leading east, IH 30 passes by Fair Park en route to Mesquite and Garland.

10/21/03