TxDOT Fort Worth Discusses Major Construction Projects Underway
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - If you drive on North Texas roads, you know there is no shortage of construction happening right now.
CBS 11's Madison Sawyer recently spoke to local transportation agencies including TxDOT Dallas, TxDOT Fort Worth and the NTTA about the progress of road construction projects in the area for an episode of 'To the Point,' which airs on CBS 11 Sunday, December 6 at 6 a.m.
TxDOT Fort Worth Spokesman, Val Lopez, described three of the biggest projects they are working on right now in Tarrant County including the I-30 and Hwy 360 interchange reconfiguration in Arlington, the East Loop 820 expansion in East Fort Worth and the Hwy 199 expansion and bridge project in the northwest portion of the county.
The Hwy 360 and I-30 interchange in Arlington has been under construction since 2016. They are working to replace the old cloverleaf turnpike configuration with modern direct connecting ramps, similar to what drivers see in North Dallas at the High Five.
In addition to adding ramps, the project adds lanes to both I-30 and Hwy 360 helping to alleviate congestion.
Significant progress has been made recently with multiple major closure of I-30 orchestrated to allow the demolition of existing bridges in the area. Construction closures that TxDOT Fort Worth admits are complicated with the renovations happening in the heart of the Arlington entertainment district.
"We are working very closely with those partners and the city to make sure we maintain the access and minimize the impact to them, but at the same time building the facility," Lopez explains.
"It's like not only are we building a stadium during the (football) season but building a stadium during an actual football game."
The East Loop 820 project adds lanes on the stretch of highway between I-30 and Hwy 183. With an estimated cost of around $174 million, the project began in 2018 and is expected to be competed in 2023.
Lopez says one of the biggest undertakings of the East Loop 820 project is a brand-new interchange to and from Hwy 121.
"We are building modern direct connecting ramps between 820 and 121 where there was none before," Lopez says. "There was a series of ramps and cloverleafs, but we are going back down there just like at 30 and 360 where there was empty sky, you are now seeing direct interchanges being built."
The other big project they are working on just got underway a few months ago. The Hwy 199 widening project, from FM 1886 to Azle Avenue, takes the highway from four to six lanes west of Lake Worth Crossing.
Multiple new bridges will be added to the stretch of roadway including a new bridge over Lake Worth, but TXDOT Fort Worth says the existing bridge will not be demolished.
"We are keeping the old bridge as a frontage road bridge, which means we are able to construct the new bridge without impacting existing traffic," Lopez says.
The contract for the Hwy 199 project was awarded in June of this year for $104 million. Completion is estimated for 2024.
North Texans can hear more from TxDOT Fort Worth on the next episode of 'To the Point,' which airs Sunday, December 6 at 6 a.m.
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