TxDOT Recommends a 10-Lane ‘Infrastructure Grave’ in Dallas

“For many years now, TxDOT has studied the feasibility of removing Interstate 345, which is a 1.7-mile segment of elevated highway that dissects downtown Dallas in Deep Ellum.” But after concluding that “removing the highway is unfeasible,” Joe Cortright writes in Strong Towns, “TxDOT now recommends tearing down the elevated freeway and rebuilding it in a 65-foot-deep trench that will contain 10 travel lanes and cost more than a billion dollars.”

According to Cortright, “If this hybrid approach moves forward, it seems to send a pretty clear message that highway capacity and maintaining commute times are the central priority of the Dallas Metro, not reconnecting neighborhoods or improving the downtown neighborhood quality of life.”

The article describes the original proposal for removing the freeway. “Urban planners Kennedy and Brandon Hancock first pitched the idea of tearing I-345 out, which would free up land the city could re-zone to create a mix of housing, office, and retail. The D Magazine article says TxDOT estimated in 2016 that removal would generate about $2.5 billion in new net value, a ‘significant increase in employment totals,’ and an additional $67.4 million in property tax revenue over 30 years.”

For more details on the TxDOT recommendation, listen to the latest episode of Strong Towns’ Upzoned podcast.