Traffic News

TxDOT proposes re-do of major Dallas freeway interchange at I-635 and I-35

I-635 and I-35 are one of the biggest mix masters in Dallas.

TxDOT

The Texas Department of Transportation has a proposal to improve one of the largest mix masters in Dallas and is seeking public comments.

The $380 million proposed plan is for improvements to the I-635 interchange with I-35 in North Dallas including:

widen and upgrade a 3-mile section of I-635 to 10 lanes (5 in each direction)
widen I-35E to 8 to 10 lanes (4 or 5 in each direction)
create "continuous" frontage roads, 4 to 6 lanes wide (2 or 3 in each direction)

These proposed improvements would cover I-635 from Luna Road to Loop 354/Denton Drive, and I-35E and I-35E Express from Royal Lane to Valley View Lane.

I-635 currently has 7 lanes in that area: 4 lanes westbound and 3 eastbound. I-35 currently has 6 to 8 lanes.

Project manager Nelson Underwood says that the goal is to make the interchange more free-flowing, with continuous frontage roads on each side.

The retooling will also remove and relocate two left exits — at westbound I-635 and northbound I-35E — to right exits.

"This would do away with the left exits and move them to their proper location: right-hand entrances and exits," Underwood says. "That interchange was originally built in the '60s. It's old. That's another part of why we’re looking at making improvements."

The project ties in to the current I-35E rebuild, which widens I-35E from 6 to 8 lanes between I-635 and the Denton County line. That work began in spring 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.

The state held a public meeting on the plan on November 2, which drew 20-30 attendees, and will hold at least two more meetings, with the next one in the spring.

But residents can submit input on the project via a comment portal on the TxDOT website through November 17.

“We’re asking for some early ideas and we want to get some opinions,” says TxDOT spokeswoman Kenna Mitchell. “We want to know of anything that we missed. People are out there driving on this every day. Is there something we should look at in addition to what we are proposing?”

They anticipate that some right-of-way property will need to be acquired, but TxDOT says it will not involve residences.

The project will impact a huge number of drivers: In 2022, I-35E south of I-635 carried 231,599 vehicles a day.

If it goes according to plan, a completed study would be ready by 2026, which would mark the beginning of design.

The long lead time is typical of any large road project. There are currently $3 billion in state road projects taking place in Dallas County. (See the largest projects underway here.)

Comments are encouraged. Email project manager at Nelson.Underwood@txdot.gov, or send regular mail to project manager Nelson Underwood, TxDOT Dallas District Office, 4777 E. US Highway 80, Mesquite, Texas 75150

All comments and mail must be submitted and postmarked by Friday, November 17, 2023, to be included in the public record. Those without internet access can call 214-320-6628 Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm.

transportation traffic

salary news

This is the salary it takes to be a top 1 percent earner in Texas

Wealth, top 1 percent earners in Texas, income threshold

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

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To be one of the highest earners in Texas has become a little easier in 2025: According to a new financial analysis from SmartAsset, Texans have to make $743,955 to qualify as a top 1 percent earner in the state.

If that sounds like a lot, it's still $18,000 less than 2024, when you had to pull in $762,090 a year.

To determine the income needed to be in the top 1 percent of earners, SmartAsset analyzed 2022 IRS data for individual tax filers (the most recent year where data was available), and income was adjusted to May 2025 dollars.

The national average income it takes to be considered a part of this exclusive group comes out to $731,492. The income needed to be in the top 1 percent decreased in nearly every state except for North Dakota, Florida, and Oklahoma.

Connecticut leads the nation with the highest income threshold needed to be in the top 1 percent, with residents needing to make nearly $1.06 million annually to qualify. Connecticut is the only state where residents need to make $1 million to be considered a top 1 percent earner. Only 16,917 Connecticuters currently fit the bill for the designation.

A total of 128,130 Texans currently make enough money to be considered one of the highest earners statewide. That's 2,002 more people than in 2024. Though the report doesn't provide information as to where these top earners live, it's entirely possible some are living in Dallas-Fort Worth. After all, the metro's population has now surpassed 8.44 million residents.

For aspiring Texans who want to make it among the top 5 percent of earners in the state, they would have to make $284,661 a year to qualify. There are 640,648 Texans who currently make enough money to be considered top 5 percent earners, the report said.

"Nearly 1.5 million households across the United States now rank among the top 1 percent of earners, according to the latest tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)," the report said. "Economic conditions, tax policies and cost of living vary significantly from state to state, resulting in wide disparities between what it takes to become a top 1 percent earner across the nation."

For Dallasites who want to make enough money to be considered "middle class," the yearly salary ranges between $49,478 and $71,359, according to a separate 2025 SmartAsset report.

The top 10 states with the highest thresholds to be considered in the top 1 percent of earners in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – Connecticut ($1,056,996)
No. 2 – Massachusetts ($965,170)
No. 3 – California ($905,396)
No. 4– New Jersey ($901,082)
No. 5 – New York ($891,640)
No. 6 – Florida ($859,381)
No. 7 – Washington ($819,101)
No. 8 – Colorado ($772,989)
No. 9 – Wyoming ($771,369)
No. 10 – Texas ($743,955)

texas income salaries smartasset reports wealthiest people