Dallas

Dead Man's Curve In South Dallas Nearing Life's End

Highway construction to eliminate Dead Man’s Curve in South Dallas enters a critical phase Wednesday night, when multiple lanes along I-45 will be closed nearly each night for the rest of month.

“We’re hanging beams on these big bridges that are going to connect U.S. 175 directly with I-45 so we will be eliminating that curve,” says TxDOT spokesperson Michelle Releford.

Currently, the dangerous curve connects U.S. 175 with S.H. 310, allowing drivers to get to I-45.

“I try to do as much as I can not to go that way because I’m so afraid,” says Janet Jackson, who lives nearby and is a member of the local neighborhood association.

“I don’t know if they realize the speed once they get to it,” says Jackson, “it’s almost like it’s too late and then when you brake and then before you know it you’re in an accident or it could be a fatality, something very tragic.”

Multiple lanes along I-45 will be closed each night over the next week and a half, allowing crews to build ramps connecting the two major highways, eliminating the need for Dead Man’s Curve.

“We’re going to make it much safer, much more easier flowing traffic,” says Releford.

Construction on the new ramps started in June of 2016, and should be finished by September of 2019.

The neighborhood will also benefit from future phases, when S.M. Wright becomes a landscaped boulevard.

“Instead of being a bridge itself, it will be at grade which you can build businesses next to it, people can access that,” said Releford.

“We’re very excited about this and we are just waiting to see the outcome at the end of the process of it, so we’re very excited about it,” says Jackson, “I think it’s going to be a very positive thing for the South Dallas community as well.”

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