Heads up drivers – a major highway closure will impact traffic in the heart of the metroplex this weekend.
Starting Friday night, State Highway 360 in both directions at Interstate 30 will be shut down through Sunday for bridgework.
The Texas Department of Transportation is continuing work attaching a large piece of beam together to build the overpass bridges as part of the I-30/SH360 Interchange Project. The $233 million project by the Texas Department of Transportation is meant to improve traffic flow for drivers trying to connect between the two highways.
“We're hanging new bridge structures up there. And we simply can't do that over live traffic, it's a safety issue and a safety concern,” said Val Lopez, spokesperson for the TxDOT Fort Worth district. “We're going to be very diligent and do it as quickly as possible.”
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This weekend’s closure is one of many this summer to work on the bridges, which TxDOT said is part of the major pieces needed to get it all done.
"Yes, that is inconveniencing travelers, but it's a sign of progress. A sign of work actually getting done,” said Lopez.
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Crews have made a lot of progress since they broke ground over six years ago in spring 2016.
“Anytime you do a project in an urban area, there's always stuff underneath the ground that needs to be moved, especially when you're digging. When you're putting in a bridge, pylons and columns, you need to dig in the ground,” Lopez said. “So we finally got all of those elements out of the way and that's why we're doing the project with what seems like an accelerated rate pace now as compared earlier.”
This rendering from TxDOT shows you what it should look like when it's all done.
The changes will make it easier for people to get to Six Flags, Dallas Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium and Texas Rangers baseball games at Globe Life Field. The SH 360 closure this weekend has good timing – the Rangers will be playing away from home in Minnesota.
"We realize that's where the Metroplex goes to, to play and to amuse themselves. So we're doing our best to minimize impact to those venues,” said Lopez. “But ultimately, we’ve had many of these big closures this summer. They're there so that we can do big work, so we can make big things happen."
In the meantime, crews are planning a traffic switch possibly in September to start work on new pavement. More interchange ramps will also open.
The drought this summer has also played a role in things moving ahead a little faster this year.
“Drought conditions are absolutely good for nothing, except highway construction,” said Lopez. “We've progressed a lot, not only on this project but many of our projects across the county and across our district. We definitely take advantage of the good weather. It becomes very unpredictable in the late fall through the winter and early spring."
Lopez added that the weather has been very stable this summer, making it easy to move forward on the project – hence the number of closures that have happened in the last few months.
“It’s been very hot and very dry. And that does facilitate multiple days of work. When it rains a lot, our people are stuck doing paperwork. When it's dry and hot, we do a lot of construction. We pour concrete and lay rebar. And we've had many of those good days this summer,” he said.
Most of the project should be completed by the end of next year.
“We anticipate finishing, substantially completing the project -- all eight interchange ramps by the end of next year,” said Lopez. “Between now and the end of next year, you're going to see a lot of places where there was empty sky – there's going to be interchange ramps. So we're making very good progress.”
