Traffic Woes

Brace yourself, Dallas, because this latest freeway closure lasts all summer

Remembering the Mixmaster as it used to be.

DFWfreeways.info

There'll be another freeway closure in downtown Dallas, and this one will last us all summer long. On May 20, the eastbound I-30 exit to Lamar Street will be shut down and will stay that way until fall 2016.

Labeled Exit 45B, it's being closed so that crews can perform construction as part of the Dallas Horseshoe Project. The closure will take place on Friday at 9 pm.

Dianne Tordillo, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), explains that the closure will allow main lanes to be built through the canyon area of I-30 and I-35.

“A few weeks ago, we shifted traffic in the canyon area to the right,” she says. “Now, we're doing same thing on the eastbound side. Closing the Lamar exit will allow us to work on the permanent main lane. It's at the heart of where we're building the main lane.”

Throughout the duration of the closure, drivers can take the next available exit, which is the exit to Cadiz and Griffin streets, and follow posted detours to access Lamar Street.

Work is subject to weather and may be postponed if necessary. Message boards and signs will be placed along the roadway to advise motorists of the closure and associated detours. The public can stay up-to-date about traffic closures and changes by signing up for text alerts, sending the message “dallashorseshoe” to 31996.

The goal of TxDOT's Dallas Horseshoe Project, so dubbed for its U shape, is to improve traffic flow through the heart of downtown Dallas. The project started in April 2013 and is scheduled for completion in summer 2017.

transportation

Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

marijuana