A portion of a major thoroughfare in North Dallas is about to be shut down for a year: Beginning Thursday, January 25, a portion of Hillcrest Road between McCallum Boulevard and Wester Way in North Dallas will be closed for a 52-week period as construction continues for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Silver Line project.

DART and the City of Dallas have agreed to close the 1/5-mile section of Hillcrest Road to ensure the utmost safety for both the public and work crews while a grade separated rail crossing at Hillcrest is being constructed. The 52-week closure will begin on Thursday, January 25, 2024 and last until January 24, 2025. There will be no access to Hillcrest Road between McCallum Boulevard and Wester Way during this time.

Detours will be in place to direct commuter traffic to Coit Road on the east, and Preston Road on the west of Hillcrest Road. There will be limited access from McKamy Boulevard. To ensure safety for area residents, Dallas Fire Rescue (DFR) and the Dallas Police Department (DPD) will have emergency access at several locations throughout the construction site.

The Hillcrest Road closure is near the City of Richardson border and the area is within Plano Independent School District attendance zones. DART has been in regular communication with city and school district officials in Richardson and Plano regarding construction updates and safety measures due to Silver Line work and the upcoming closure. DART also continues to provide updates to nearby cities who may have commuters that frequent the area. Digital road signs alerting drivers of the upcoming closure have been in place since late December.

“While we understand that this temporary road closure will be an inconvenience to commuters and the adjacent community, public safety will always be our primary focus,” said Dee Leggett, DART chief development officer. “Due to the limited work area and the extent of excavation necessary, we’re taking every possible precaution for the safety of drivers, pedestrians, and our construction teams. Our goal is to complete construction safely and quickly, so we can get traffic on Hillcrest Road back to normal while continuing to advance the Silver Line project.”

The DART Silver Line is a 26-mile commuter rail that traverses seven North Texas cities (Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, Plano) between DFW Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano. The regional rail alignment crosses three counties (Collin, Dallas, Tarrant) and will provide service to improve mobility and accessibility across the northern portion of the DART service area. DART Silver Line revenue service is scheduled to begin in late 2025 to mid-2026.