City, county and state leaders on Wednesday celebrated the groundbreaking of the $1.6 billion Southeast Connector Project, which represents the largest investment of TxDOT funds in the history of the Fort Worth District.
The transformative project, estimated for completion in 2027, will rebuild and widen approximately 16 miles of Interstate 20 and Interstate 820. Interstate 20 will be widened to 10 mainlanes from I-820 to US 287 and I-820 will be widened to eight mainlanes from I-20 to Spur 303 (Rosedale Street). The Southeast Connector Project will also reconstruct the I-20, I-820 and US 287 interchanges.
The Texas Transportation Commission designated the Southeast Connector Project as part of the statewide Texas Clear Lanes initiative, a program to address the most congested chokepoints in the state. The project area was ranked as No. 79 in the list of 100 most congested chokepoints in the state, an issue that would only worsen as the Dallas-Fort Worth’s population continues to grow. An estimated 250,000 vehicles travel corridors in the projects area each day, a number that is expected to grow to 370,000 vehicles per day by the year 2045, David Salazar Jr., TxDOT Fort Worth District engineer, said during the groundbreaking.
“This Texas Clear Lane Project will reduce congestion and improve safety in the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Forest Hill, Kennedale and over 200,000 drivers who pass through the corridor every day,” Salazar said.
This highly anticipated project will tie in the east and southeast part of Tarrant County to the central part of the county while relieving congestion. It’s not only important for Tarrant County, Fort Worth and Arlington, but also facilitates trade, increases safety, and improves efficiency for the entire Metroplex, Salazar said.
“The Southeast Connector will improve mobility, congestion relive, and safety in this area, which is of paramount importance with this $1.6 billion project. This is a small part of a bigger piece of what we are trying to do throughout the entire state of Texas,” said J. Bruce Bugg Jr., Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission.
Thanks to dedicated funding approved by Texas voters in 2014 and 2015, TxDOT has been able to develop and program projects specifically designed to reduce gridlock and improve safety in the the state's large metropolitan areas.
The program has $61.3 billion in projects that have been completed, are under construction or are in planning. More than a dozen projects have been completed statewide. The Dallas-Fort Worth region has completed $1.2 billion in projects to date, with another $5.1 billion under construction and $3.3 billion in planning.
"The Southeast Connector project has afforded increased economic opportunities for businesses located right here in our community, and will continue to do so as construction advances,” said State Representative Nicole Collier. From the beginning, TxDOT has made this project community driven. They have considered and included community input and feedback and demonstrated first-hand how government works for, and with, the people of Texas."
Michael Morris, North Central Texas Council of Governments Director of Transportation, said the Southeast Connector project is a terrific example of partnerships between local government, the Regional Transportation Council, and TxDOT.
"It demonstrates transportation improvements at a neighborhood level, city level, regional level, and state level. The project brings added capacity, improved mobility, opportunities to improve air quality, and economic development opportunities to our region," Morris said.
In advance of construction, the land at I-20 and Park Springs Boulevard in Arlington has been cleared for use by TxDOT. The southwest corner will be the home of the materials testing laboratory. The remaining three corners will be used for materials delivery and storage yards.
Visit TxDOT’s project website, www.southeastconnector.com, for more information and to sign up for construction updates.
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