New freeway project will re-do I-30 from downtown to East Dallas

The major freeway that runs east of Dallas is earmarked for a big re-do, and transportation officials are ready to unveil their latest recommendations.

The freeway is the I-30 East Corridor, extending from downtown Dallas east to 635 in Mesquite, which is slated to be widened and modernized — a project that'll be executed in six parts.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is ready to present Phase 2, which would start at I-345/I-45 on the edge of downtown and run 4.4 miles to Ferguson Road.

According to TxDOT project manager Nelson Underwood, the proposed improvements would include:

• 10 general purpose lanes (five in each direction)
• 2 reversible managed (HOV) lanes
• discontinuous two-to-three-lane frontage roads in each direction
• reconstruction of ramps and bridge structures

The current status on that section of I-30 has nine lanes: eight general-purpose lanes — four in each direction — and one reversible high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane.

Coming out of downtown, that stretch is on an elevated bridge structure from I-345/I-45 to Haskell Avenue, with overpasses from Haskell Avenue to Dolphin Road.

They're proposing that those lanes be depressed, IE sunken-in, similar to what's been done on US-75.

They're also considering accommodations for bicycle and pedestrian travel along the project corridor.

Currently, the frontage roads vary from two to three lanes in each direction, and are discontinuous within these limits. IE some exits, you get off and can't get back on.

"The road was built in the late '50s and early '60s and at that time, they had different design standards," Underwood says. "Another part of the project is to add capacity, by adding a fifth lane in each direction and two reversible HOV lanes. The improvements will help mobility and help the high volume of traffic move through corridor and make it safer."

I-30 is also distinctively curvy, which always seems to cause traffic to snarl.

"Are we going to take the curves out? No," Underwood says. "We're working with the city of Dallas, and one of the things the city impressed upon us was that it needed to be done within the existing right of way, to minimize and eliminate any right of way acquisitions. But we're going to bring the geometry up to current design standards with longer, more sweeping curves."

The project (ID # 000911259) is anticipated to cost more than $1 billion and hasn't been funded yet, but Underwood says it's a priority, and were they to secure funding, could begin in 2026.

It would be phase 2 in a six-part series of projects to renovate I-30 and US-80 between Dallas and Rockwall and Forney. Phase 1 is the Canyon through the downtown Dallas area, a 2-mile stretch from the Dallas Convention Center to the I-345 interchange, which was introduced in 2019.

The meeting/presentation will take place on June 8 at 4 pm, which you can view online or attend in person. They'll present information on these proposed improvements and solicit public comments, which you can offer via mail, email, or voicemail. All comments must be submitted and postmarked by Wednesday, June 23 to be included in the public record.

The presentation will be available at www.keepitmovingdallas.com/I30EC. You can view it at any time beginning on Tuesday, June 8 at 4 pm through Wednesday, June 23 at 11:59 pm.

The in-person option takes place on Tuesday, June 8 from 4-8 pm at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas, at 1438 Coliseum Dr. If you want to attend, you need to make an appointment in advance, either online at www.signupgenius.com/go/I30EC or by calling 833-933-0443.