Traffic News

Don't take I-30 to Fort Worth this weekend unless you absolutely have to

This area through Arlington will be closed.

Photo courtesy of I-30 Project

If you're thinking about heading to Fort Worth this weekend via I-30, think twice: The Texas Department of Transportation will be shutting the freeway down, both east and westbound lanes, in order to do major construction on a bridge.

The span affected will be in Arlington, from FM 157/Collins Street to SH 161/President George Bush Turnpike. It'll start Friday, November 6 at 7 pm and end Sunday, November 8 at 7 am.

They'll be removing the SH 360 northbound main lane bridge and partially removing the northbound frontage road bridge, both of which cross over I-30.

Drivers should expect big delays along the detour route and are encouraged to seek alternate routes.

The closure is subject to changes due to weather, but it's supposedly going to be nice this weekend.

The closure is part of the I-30/SH 360 Interchange Project in Arlington, which will replace the existing cloverleaf turnpike configuration with a new interchange.

Detour routes

Eastbound I-30 motorists will be directed to southbound FM 157/Collins Street, then eastbound on SH 180/Division Street, then to the northbound SH 161 frontage road, to the eastbound I-30 direct connector ramp (toll free during the detour). And then it's back on eastbound I-30.
Westbound I-30 motorists will take the opposite detour.
SH 360 access to westbound I-30 will be directed through the SH 180/Division Street interchange. Eastbound I-30 access from Six Flags Drive will remain open.
Additionally, a northbound SH 360 frontage road detour will be in place at the same time during the bridge demolition: The northbound frontage road detour is westbound Six Flags Drive, westbound Road to Six Flags Road, northbound Ballpark Way, and eastbound Lamar Boulevard.

The Interstate 30/State Highway 360 interchange project is replacing the original 1950's Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike cloverleaf design with a "modern, fully directional interchange" with connection ramps for all movements between I-30 and SH 360.

Hmm. If you've ever driven westbound on I-30 into downtown Dallas, which was updated by TxDOT into what is now an oft-confusing cluster, then you would be totally justified in questioning the skillset of TxDOT's road designers and wondering if the 1950s original might in fact be superior in the end.

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Money Matters

This is the salary you need to live comfortably in Texas in 2026

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Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

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A new national report looking at the income it takes to live comfortably in each of the 50 states has revealed Texans need to earn slightly less now than a year ago.

SmartAsset analyzed what a single individual, as well as family of four, must earn to cover minimum basic needs adjusted using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. The resulting estimate represents the annual, pre-tax income needed to live comfortably in every U.S. state.

A single, full-time worker needs to make $90,563 to live comfortably in the Lone Star State, the report found, which is down a meager 0.2 percent from last year ($90,771).

Under the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy, that means a single Texas earner would have $45,282 to spend on necessities like housing and utilities, $27,169 for discretionary spending, and $18,113 for emergencies or retirement savings.

Texas ranked 34th nationally in SmartAsset's list of states with the highest income needed for a single adult to live "in sustainable comfort" in 2026. Only five other states — Tennessee, Maryland, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Mississippi — saw a decline in the income needed to live comfortably this year.

For a family of four to live comfortably in Texas, income requirements change significantly, according to the findings. To support a two-child household, a family needs $203,424 in combined total household income to be considered financially stable. This is down slightly from 2025, when SmartAsset reported a family of four in needed $204,922 to live comfortably in Texas.

This is a comfortable lifestyle for a family of four in Texas, according to the report:

$101,712 dedicated to necessities and living expenses
$61,027 dedicated to discretionary spending
$40,685 dedicated to emergencies, savings, or debt repaymen

According to the report, a family of four now needs to make at least $200,000 to live comfortably in 40 U.S. states, a figure that is far out of reach for many American families.

"As housing, grocery, transportation and other essential costs pressure household budgets, earning a six-figure salary no longer guarantees financial comfort in much of the U.S.," the report said. "A single adult now needs at least $80,000 a year to live comfortably in every state, while the threshold exceeds $100,000 in nearly half of states. For a family of four, the income needed to live comfortably is as much as $329,000."

Still, earning the minimum income to live comfortably in Texas doesn't guarantee financial stability in the Lone Star State's major cities. Earlier this year, SmartAsset determined single residents in Dallas need to make nearly $97,000 to qualify as financially stable, while families of four need about $214,500.

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