Two major freeway closures are in the works in Dallas. One involves a closure that begins this weekend. The other represents a closure that will last all summer. Dallas Love Field is also soliciting input on a possible new entrance.
Here is your transportation roundup:
I-30 closure in far east Dallas
Out on the border of Dallas and Mesquite, I-30 at Galloway Avenue will be closed for two weekends in a row:
- July 18-19: the eastbound lanes of I-30 at Galloway Avenue will be closed
- July 25-26: the westbound lanes of I-30 at Galloway Avenue will be closed
This will be accompanied by full closures of Galloway Avenue at I-30 and certain I-30/I-635 direct connectors.
These closures are to perform bridge work for the 635 East Project. The 635 East Project is an 11-mile project on Interstate 635 in Dallas County, which wraps around the northeast border of Dallas. Construction includes the addition of a lane in each direction, building continuous frontage roads, and rebuilding the interchange at I-635 and I-30.
Construction began in early 2020 and is expected to make any trip to the Town East Mall in Mesquite probably a living hell until late 2024, which is the project's anticipated completion date.
The 635 East Project is part of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative by TxDOT, to address growing traffic congestion in the state.
A video has been produced by the project team to show what's going on, which explains it so much better than words ever could. It's posted on YouTube.
The scheduled closures and detours will begin at
- 8 pm on Saturday July 18 and run through Sunday July 19 at 1 pm
- 8 pm on Saturday July 25 and run through Sunday July 26 at 1 pm
To stay informed on construction progress, lane closures, and traffic changes, you can sign up for text alerts by sending the message "635 East" to 31996. Or sign up for e-blasts at 635east.com/receive/e-blasts/.
Design District exit ramp
An exit ramp from I-35 to Dallas' Design District will be closed for two months, beginning Monday July 20.
Weather permitting, TxDOT will close the northbound I-35E exit ramp to Hi Line Drive (Exit 429C) on Monday July 20 at 8 pm. It will remain closed until Monday September 21 at 5 am.
But all is not lost. You can go to the next exit, Oak Lawn Avenue (Exit 430A), then pull a U-ie onto the southbound frontage road to get to Hi Line Drive.
The two-month closure is part of the 2.3-mile Lowest Stemmons project on I-35E from I-30 to north of Oak Lawn Avenue.
Love Field second entrance
Dallas Love Field is doing outreach on the possibility of a second entrance to the airport.
An "Alternate Entry Analysis" was undertaken to address the risks of having a single point of entry to the airport, currently the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Herb Kelleher Way. The airport has observed a big increase in traffic in recent years, with an average daily traffic count of more than 80,000.
The project is being led by the Department of Aviation in coordination with consultant firm Ricondo & Associates and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. They've created a shortlist of potential second entries. Three that have been under consideration in the past include Shorecrest Drive, Northwest Highway, and Lemmon Avenue.
Alternatives were evaluated based on their ability to provide an evacuation route in case the current entry were blocked due to an incident, as well as traffic impacts, environmental and air quality impacts, and the ability to accommodate an automated people mover system.
All community members, including public officials, aviation enthusiasts, DAL customers, local businesses, and residents are encouraged to attend and understand the project. Virtual meetings are scheduled as follows:
- Thursday July 23, 6-7:30 pm. Register here.
- Thursday September 3, 607:30 pm. Register here.
- Tuesday September 22, 607:30 pm. Register here.
The airport is also encouraging the public to take a survey, which will be open until September 30. It's available in English and Spanish.
