The so called "Dead Man's Curve" in Dallas would be straightened and The S.M Wright Freeway demolished in the latest plans from TxDOT.
The notorious hairpin curve at the intersection on US 175 at Texas 310 has been the scene of dozens of accidents in the last five years. A fuel tanker explosion in October 2008 closed the highway for months of repairs.
Plans call for removing the sharp curve by connecting US 175 C.F. Hawn Freeway east of the curve directly to Interstate 45 to the west with the proposed Trinity Toll road. Then overpasses on the 175 S.M. Wright Freeway north of the curve would be torn down and the roadway transformed into a six-lane landscaped boulevard.
"An elevated highway always serves as a barrier in a neighborhood," said TxDOT spokesman Tony Hartzel. "By taking this down to a boulevard type option, you’re opening it up to a lot of potential."
But the plan depends on construction of the controversial Trinity toll road which faces hurdles of its own. Most of the toll road path is inside the Trinity River levees which were recently rated "unacceptable" by the federal government. But the segment required to connect 175 with Interestate 45 is outside the levees.
TxDOT is trying to separate that segment to straighten 175 faster, Hartzel said.
“The hope is that it could be completed sooner and opened sooner than the rest of the parkway,” he said.
Neighbors who saw the plans Friday were pleased.
“It would make it look better anyway,” said Tommy Elmore. “And you know how dangerous Dead Man's Curve is.”
The state will hold a public hearing April 28th to take neighborhood input on the plans.
