Traffic News

Major I-30 freeway closure on east side of Dallas begins this weekend

Can Big Lots on Gus Thomasson survive?

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There's a major freeway disruption on I-30 on the easternmost side of Dallas, begining June 23, with a closure that will extend through spring 2024.

As part of the ongoing I-635E widening and improvement project, two major closures are scheduled to start this weekend at the I-30/Gus Thomasson Road interchange.

This part needs to be in bold:

All lanes of north and southbound Gus Thomasson Road crossing over I-30 will be closed through spring 2024. This closure begins on Friday, June 23 at 8 pm.

During this closure, drivers will access Gus Thomasson Road by using frontage roads, then making U-turns at either Galloway Avenue or Motley Drive.

Gus Thomasson Road closure map Map of detours that will be required with the closure of Gus Thomasson Road over I-30 in far east Dallas.TxDOT

The big impact here will be for the many residents of Casa View who use Gus Thomasson to cross over I-30 and shop at the massive Town East area. This represents not only Town East Mall, but a whole slew of neighboring shopping centers and major stores, from Home Depot to Target to Sprouts to Kroger to Town East Ford to Half Price Books to Big Lots, this is serious.

Closures this weekend
In a more temporary closure: All lanes of eastbound and westbound I-30 will be closed overnight on Saturday June 24, from 8 pm Saturday to 11 am Sunday, June 25 for bridge construction. Drivers will be detoured to frontage roads to access the next available entrance ramps to I-30.

Both directions of I-30 at Gus Thomasson Rd., as well as Gus Thomasson and Galloway Avenue cross streets, will be closed. Detours are as follows:

Full closure of I-30 east bound at Gus Thomasson. Drivers headed east on I-30 will be detoured to take the exit to Gus Thomasson Road/Galloway Avenue/Northwest Drive (exit 56A) and travel on the frontage road to get back to I-30.
Full closure of I-30 west bound at Gus Thomasson. Drivers headed west on I-30 will be detoured to Exit 57, Galloway Avenue, and take the frontage road back to I-30.Closure of I-30 east bound connectors to I-635 (exits 56B and 56C). Drivers going eastbound on I-30 will be detoured to the frontage road prior to Gus Thomasson, and take the frontage road to I-635. Drivers headed south on I-635 will be directed to the entrance at Town East Boulevard. Drivers headed north on I-635 will take Town East Boulevard and U-turn onto the northbound I-635 entrance ramp.
Closure of connector ramps from 635 to I-30. Drivers on northbound I-635 who want to go west on I-30 will be detoured to the northbound I-635 exit at Oates Drive (exit 9A) and will have to U-turn to get to the southbound I-635 frontage road, then take that to the westbound I-30 exit at Gus Thomasson. Southbound drivers on I-635 who want to go west on I-30 will take the I-635 southbound exit at Oates Drive and stay on the frontage road, following the same detour to the westbound I-30 entrance at Gus Thomasson.
All lanes on Galloway Avenue at I-30, both north- and southbound, will be closed. Local traffic will be detoured to Barnes Bridge Road, Morningside Drive, Northwest Drive, and Oates Drive.
All lanes on Gus Thomasson at I-30, both north and southbound, will be closed. Local traffic will be detoured to Oates Drive, Motley Drive, and Town East Boulevard.

Drivers are urged to start planning alternate routes and extra travel time in this corridor.

For additional information related to the 635 East Project, visit www.635east.com.

traffic transportation

RIP Kelly

Beloved Dallas public relations maven Kelly Hunter dies at 58

Photo courtesy of Sunwest PR.

Kelly Hunter passed away on June 12.

A beloved Dallas media figure has died: Kelly Hunter, a public relations maven who helped restaurants and other small businesses thrive, passed away on June 12, following a brief illness; she was 58.

Hunter spent 35 years in the field of public relations, first at Shiroma Southwest, then at Sunwest Communications, where she served as Vice President, Lifestyle, Hospitality & Tech.

She played a key role in a creative alliance with the City of Addison, particularly its annual Kaboom Town 4th of July event. Other notable clients she promoted over the years include Galleria Dallas; the Statler Dallas hotel in downtown Dallas; Hotel Dax, the Statler sibling that recently opened in Addison; and the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field.

A statement from Sunwest said that "Kelly’s unparalleled work ethic and encyclopedic knowledge of countless subjects were exceeded only by the passion she had for her job. She made an incredible impact on all she met. Kelly was a good friend, a great mom, and an even better wife to her husband, John."

Hunter was the consummate PR pro, embodying both the detail-oriented precision and the 24/7 responsiveness that the job calls for, along with a doting personal touch that was felt by her coworkers, clients, and members of the media. Hunter was beloved by her peers, as well — no small feat in the cut-throat world of Dallas media.

Chuck Steelman called her "amazing — one of the best public relations professionals I’ve ever worked with." Patricia Valderrama described her as "the warmest and kindest soul. Never saw her angry or upset ever." Allison Golden Tucker posted, "It always seemed like Kelly had more hours in the day than most. Her storytelling ability was second to none and she always had time for a quick word of advice."

Barbara Kovacevich highlighted Kelly's effectiveness, noting that "she elevated Addison events to national recognition. It’s hard to not link Kelly with Addison Kaboom Town. Kelly was driven to success and had a great heart for others."

Kelly was born in Dallas on June 28, 1967. Her parents were Joanne Washburn and John Alexander Jr., and she had a younger sister, Amy. She graduated from Plano Senior High School, going on to earn degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in marketing from the University of North Texas.

She and her husband, John, had two children, Chandler and Reagan, and the four were frequent travelers.

She was also a lifelong volunteer, from the PTA at her children’s elementary school, to Junior League of Collin County, Women’s Auxiliary for Children’s Health, Chamberlain Ballet, and the National Charity League. A culinary enthusiast in work and life, she was recently inducted into Les Dames d’Escoffier.

"Kelly did everything in life with a cheerful attitude and a warmth that made everyone feel special," the statement from Sunwest said. "Her network reaches every corner of the DFW metroplex and beyond as a talented storyteller, fabulous home chef, and a dedicated friend. She was loved and admired by all who knew her."

Services will be held on Saturday, June 27 at 11 am at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano. The service will be live-streamed at cumc.com/memorial.

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