35Express Tackles Pothole Problem

Be prepared for slow travel along 35E for the next few weeks as construction teams ramp up their efforts against the growing pothole problem.

From now until December 21, leaders with the 35Express project said they are deploying extra crews to specifically target and fill potholes on the stretch between Highway 380 in Denton and Interstate 635 in Dallas.

“Potholes are cyclical in nature,” said Mark Smith with AGL Constructors, the team leading the 35Express project. “As soon as rain and winter weather events occur, our focus immediately turns to repairing the damage left behind.”

Motorists say that appears to be the case as last week’s big rain storms seem to have left behind a rougher road than ever.

Carol Porter who drives the road daily from Lewisville to downtown Dallas said she’s seen it get especially bad in the Carrollton area. That's where NBC 5 found a lot of potholes between the Belt Line Road and Sandy Lake Road exits Thursday.

“Once you get past the Bush to 635, it’s just a disaster,” said Porter.

That was one of the areas where crews were filling in holes Thursday using a temporary fill mixture.

Porter said she’s concerned the temporary fill won’t last long considering the weather we’ve seen recently.

"Thank God they're doing it, but the next rain that comes this weekend, guess what? They're all going to be up again,” said Porter. “There's got to be a more permanent solution."

Kimberly Simms, project public information officer, said they are doing temporary fills on the holes to try and get ahead of the problem before the cold winter months likely leave them with more.

The $1.4 billion 35Express Project aims to ease congestion on the stretch and both fix up and continue expanding the roadway over the next two years.

Project leaders ask the public to continue to be patient and attentive on the road as they try to keep ahead of the potholes.

Work to fill the holes is scheduled to take place 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.