TEXpress expansion opens on I-35W in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A new express highway option opened Tuesday in Fort Worth, allowing drivers to make the entire 17-mile commute from downtown to the Alliance Airport in managed toll lanes.
Drivers can now access the TEXpress lanes from I-30, and take them all the way north to Eagle Parkway.
The opening of the $1 billion third segment of the I-35W expansion happened three months ahead of schedule. The segment from North Tarrant Parkway to the north adds another 6.7 miles onto previous segments that started opening in 2017.
At a ceremonial ribbon cutting Tuesday city and county officials praised the public-private partnership that allowed for the expansion.
Ferrovial and subsidiary Cintra constructed the highway and new frontage lanes, and will operate and maintain it while collecting tolls for revenue.
An average cost from I-30 to 287 on a Tuesday afternoon is listed as $8.70, though prices can fluctuate and go higher during heavy traffic.
Former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, and former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley both celebrated the opening, which they had pushed for while they were still in office.
"This was a concept when we began, and it's real easy to say, well, I don't know about a concept," Whitley said.
The road also provides a more direct connection to Alliance, the development now home to more than 500 companies. In addition to airplanes and trains moving freight, a reliable highway connection has become key.
Russell Laughlin, an executive vice president for Hillwood Development, said it was also important for Alliance to keep a connection to the core economic center downtown, and for businesses to be able to access that part of the city.
"When their CEO's come to town, they need to be able to get downtown and visit with the mayor. And if you can do that in a 15-minute commute from your business, or world class airport, that is real value," he said.
While the lanes are open, construction on some entrance and exit ramps is expected to continue into the summer.