Interstate 30/Highway 80 - East Corridor Project
(Cities of Dallas, Garland, Mesquite, & Sunnyvale)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Description:
“The East Corridor - An IH 30/US 80 Design” is developing solutions to improve mobility, safety and travel conditions for these signature east-west freeways. The East Corridor Major Investment Study (MIS) focuses on an area bounded by downtown Dallas in the west, Dalrock Road/SH 352 in the east, Garland/Ferguson Road in the north and Military/Scyene in the south. It encompasses portions of Dallas, Garland, Mesquite, Sunnyvale and Rowlett.

Design will initiate with the preparation and completion of Preliminary Design Schematics and an Environmental Assessment followed by future final (detailed) design and project construction.

Cost and Funding:
Too preliminary to estimate costs and funding.

Current Status:

Preparation and processing of the Preliminary Design Schematics and Environmental Assessment documents remain underway, all of which must be ultimately reviewed and approved by the Federal Highway Administration in order to progress to a Public Hearing.  Public Hearing forecast date is Summer 2010, and exact date and time will be posted on the project website, relayed to elected officials and shared with all who have registered on the website mailing list and property owners who are located within the potential (proposed) right of way zone.

For more information on this project please visit the project web page at http://www.theeastcorridor.org

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Interstate 635/LBJ - Managed Lanes Project
(Cities of Dallas, Garland, & Mesquite)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Description:
LBJ Freeway was constructed in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s with a design capacity of 160,000 vehicles per day (vpd).  Today’s facility is carrying over 270,000 vpd between Preston Road and the Dallas North Tollway (DNT).  The increase in traffic over the past three decades is a result of the unpredictable population and employment growth experienced in the North Texas Region.

LBJ Managed Toll Lanes:  A key feature of the project is the inclusion of the Managed Toll Lanes which are lanes where traffic is kept moving at a faster, more reliable speed (50 mph) by adjusting the toll rate up and down as the number of vehicles increases or decreases respectively. Drivers can enter and exit the managed toll lanes at numerous points along the roadway and pay a toll to ensure a faster, more predictable trip time.

The LBJ Corridor Study has been broken into four basic sections: the West Section, the Dallas High Five Interchange, the East Secion and the Mesquite Section:

WEST SECTION - The NEW LBJ - CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN SPRING 2011

Luna Road to the High Five Interchange

Cost: $2.7 billion

Funds: Most of the funding will be provided by the developer.

Schedule: Winter 2009 - contract award and project open house; Spring 2011 - Construction begins; 2016 - Roadway opens

Description:The recommended locally preferred alternative for the West Section consists of 8 free general purpose lanes (four in each direction); continuous frontage roads two or three lanes wide throughout the entire length of the project; rebuilt bridges for streets crossing LBJ; and six new managed toll lanes (three in each direction).

The New LBJ is a private-public partnership. A private-sector developer will provide the majority of the funding for the project. That developer will then design, build, maintain and operate the roadway for 52 years.

This means:

• The roadway is finished faster, relieving congestion sooner, maximizing cost savings and minimizing the pollution impacts of construction.
• The risks associated with big construction ventures are shifted from the taxpayers to developers and investors.
• Public funds are conserved for other local transportation needs.
• The State of Texas retains ownership and oversight of the project.
• A portion of the excess revenue will be shared with the region and the project’s funding partners.

HIGH FIVE INTERCHANGE - COMPLETED

Cost: $261 million

Description: A fully functional interchange which stands as tall as a 12-story building, is 5 levels and accomodates up to 8 lanes of traffic, including an HOV lane. The project construction began in January 2002 and was completed more than a year before the originally scheduled completion date on Thanksgiving 2005.

INTERESTING FACTS:

• It took 220,000 truckloads to move 2.2 million cubic yards of soil from the interchange site.
• It required the equivalent of 45,500 miser loads to make the 350,000 cubic yards of concrete in and around the site.
• The High Five is comprised of 2 million square feet of bridge deck - almost as much square footage as the Empire State Building and 300,000 square feet of permanent retaining walls span the project, the same amount of space as 5 football fields.

EAST SECTION - UNFUNDED AS OF NOW

US75 (High Five Interchange) to I-30

Cost: $458 million

Description: The recommended locally preferred alternative for the East Section consists of 10 free general purpose lanes with auxiliary lanes, 4 HOV lanes transitioning to 2 reversible HOV lanes near Skillman, continuous frontage roads with bypass lanes, bicycle and pedestrian accomodation and Intelligent Transportation, urban design and environmental mitigation packages. TXDOT has received environmental clearance (from 2004) to reconstructe the existing 8 lane freeway to add 2 Permanent Managed HOV Lanes each direction and Frontage Roads. As TXDOTs budget permits, TXDOT has been acquiring right of way for the ultimate project.

MESQUITE SECTION - COMPLETED

I-30 to US80

Cost:  $45.9 million

Description:  The Mesquite Section is a stand-alone project south of I-30 that is intended to improve access within the Town East area.  The project has been phased to accelerate construction, minimize traffic impacts, and aid the funding process.

Phase 1 of this project consists of rebuilding the Towne Centre Bridge as six lanes, including a north side U-turn, a southbound exit ramp to Towne Centre, and a northbound Towne Centre entrance ramp. The Mesquite Section Phase I project is now complete.   Traffic is now using the completed bridge as of July 2003.

Phase IIconsists of relocating existing Town East ramps, adding a 5th lane at Town East and US 80, rebuilding Town East Blvd., and reconstruction of I-635 over Town East to south of Towne Center. The Phase II project was let in October of 2005 and construction began in January 2006. Project Completed Summer 2009.

For more information on this project please visit the project web page
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/dal/mis/ih635/lbjschematics.htm and http://www.newlbj.com

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State Highway 190 - East Branch
(Cities of Garland, Mesquite & Sunnyvale)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Description:
TxDOT is conducting a study to determine the feasibility of developing a new roadway from IH 30 to IH 20 in eastern Dallas County. The Transportation Study corridor runs from Interstate Highway 30 south to Interstate Highway 20 and is approximately 11 miles long. The potential route(s) under study will directly involve the Cities of Garland and Mesquite, the Town of Sunnyvale, and the Dallas County unincorporated area. A new six-lane roadway is proposed, and viable alternatives and potential transportation modes, including a No-Build Alternative, and the potential for toll-application to the build alternative alignments are being examined.

TxDOT works with the local entities and the public to determine feasible alternatives and alignments for the potential new roadway. TxDOT relies heavily on local leadership and input in determining what alignment works best for each jurisdiction. It is anticipated that the facility would improve local north-south transportation and complete the regional (eastern) SH 190 Loop - connecting the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) - Eastern Extension at IH 30 to the proposed Loop 9 at IH 20.

Cost and Funding:
Too preliminary to estimate costs. The East Branch project will be evaluated for potential toll-application as part of the SH 190 Transportation Study objectives. In Texas, currently-identified transportation needs exceed available funding by three to one. Traditional, tax-based methods of financing roads are no longer sufficient to handle the statewide and local transportation needs in a timely fashion. The future depends on funding tools that maximize budgets by using strategic partnerships with local communities and private businesses. In the past, Texas highways have been funded by a combination of federal, state and local funds.

Current Status:
The project is currently in the planning, design and environmental process which includes the development of alignment alternatives; travel demand studies and analysis; a Draft Environmental Impact Study; public involvement/public meetings; agency involvement and preliminary engineering.

For more information please visit the project web page at http://www.theeastbranch.org/home.htm

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US 80 @ Town East Blvd.  – Intersection/Bridge
(City of Mesquite)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
City of Mesquite

Description:
Construct new 6-lane overpass bridge over Town East Blvd. and relocate exit ramps to improve traffic flow.

Cost and Funding:
Estimated project cost is $10 million.  The County will contribute $2 million with the City of Mesquite providing $1.4 million and TXDOT funding the remainder.

Current Status:
The project went to construction at the end of 2008.  It is anticipated that it will take 24 months for construction.

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F.P. Lucas Blvd. - McKenzie to Cartwright
(City of Mesquite)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
Dallas County

Description:
Constructing a 4 lane divided concrete roadway to replace existing 2 lanes of asphalt roadway.  Project length is 1.57 miles from McKenzie Drive to Cartwright Road.  There is a small bridge within the project that will be updated by TXDOT. This project will compliment the recently improved intersection of Cartwright and FP Lucas Blvd.  The City of Mesquite will provide additional amenities such a some rock and wrought iron features along the pedestrian bridge of the roadway bridge, landscaping, stamped and colored concrete, and nice street lights.

Cost and Funding:
Estimated project cost is $12.3 million.  The County is providing $5.6 million to the project with the City contributing $6.6 million ($1 million in additional amenities).

Current Status:
The Schematic and preliminary design is complete.  Neighborhood meetings began in the Fall of 2008 and a construction completion date is anticipated for March 2012.

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Lawson Road  - Milam to Clay Mathis
(City of Mesquite)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
Dallas County

Description:
Replace 2 lanes of asphalt with 4 lanes of divided concrete.

Cost and Funding:
Estimated project cost is $11.8 million.  The County and the City will share the cost 50/50.

Current Status:
Preliminary design is underway.  However, it has been requested that the project be set out further pending the alignment decisions of the SH 190 East Branch and the Loop 9 projects.

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Military Parkway - IH 635 to Carmack
(City of Mesquite)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
Dallas County

Description:
This section of roadway and the bridge was widened from a 2 lane asphalt road to 3 lanes of concrete in each direction.

Cost and Funding:
The project was $6.3 million with Dallas County contributing $2.5 million and the City funding the remainder.

Current Status:
The project was completed and opened to traffic in November 2006.

PROJECT COMPLETED!

     
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Pioneer Road – Bruton to Belt Line
(City of Mesquite)
Last updated 1/2011

Lead Agency:
Dallas County

Description:
Replace 2 lanes of asphalt with 4 undivided lanes of concrete.

Cost and Funding:
Estimated project cost is $13.1 million.  The County and the City will each contribute 50% of the cost.

Current Status:
Design is almost complete and right-of-way acquisition is commencing.  Construction completion is estimated to be 2012.

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