Feature Story Transportation Infrastructure
Others say it’s just
business as usual –
a booming region
keeping pace with
one of the busiest,
fastest growing
metropolitan
areas in the
country.
The fact is, North Texas is building more road
projects than any other region in the U.S., with
nearly $15 billion worth of construction currently underway.
“Mobility is of critical importance to
the region,” said Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas
Council of Governments. “We can’t afford to
lose businesses or not secure new businesses
because of traffic.”
LBJ Express: I-635 at Dallas North Tollway
www.ntc-dfw.org
In order to compete on a global stage,
North Texas needs to maintain mobility to
preserve growth. North Texas has added more
people since 1990 than any other metro area
in the country. Nearly 2.4 million people have
moved to North Texas in the last 20 years.
With a booming population, mobility is vital
to ensuring the region meets the needs of its
people and economy.
“If we don’t maintain mobility, we aren’t
going to compete well with other regions for
growth,” said Vic Suhm, executive director
of the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition. “Businesses today, relative to the past,
have lots of choices to relocate or expand, and
they’re very likely going to choose a region
that’s not plagued with traffic gridlock. So
maintaining mobility is critical.”
Three of the major transportation projects currently underway – LBJ Express, North
Tarrant Express and DFW Connector – will
tackle some of the most congested roadways
in Texas by shifting away from the traditional
mega-lane highways.
These projects will utilize managed toll
lanes – called TEXpress Lanes – to move drivers through the corridors at higher numbers
and quicker rates of speed.
These lanes will maintain a speed
threshold of 50 mph and use real-time data to
determine toll amounts.
LBJ Express
When Interstate 635 LBJ Freeway was first
constructed in 1969, it was built for a capacity
of 180,000 cars per day. By 2009, there were
270,000 cars per day traveling the route.
To address the traffic needs, the LBJ
Express project will reconstruct the current
freeway lanes on I-635 and parts of Interstate
35E and add up to six new managed lanes.
These managed lanes will be the key to the
LBJ Express project accommodating current
and future growth.
When the LBJ Express project is finished, it will have a capacity of 350,000 cars
per day, according to Andy Rittler, LBJ Express project spokesman.
“The project is going to allow drivers a
much more predictable rate of speed,” Rittler
said. “We will be able to move more commuters through this pipeline throughout the day
than if we built a traditional style of road.”
The LBJ Express project will nearly
double the capacity along a 17-mile stretch of
I-635 in North Dallas.
The corridor serves as a major east-west
connection that links Highway 75, the Dallas
DFW Connector: SH 114 and SH 26 interchange
NTX Magazine
23