Every southbound lane of I-35E is closing through downtown Dallas, starting Friday at 10 p.m. But relax: The shutdown's only supposed to last 12 hours.
The exit to eastbound I-30 is part of the shutdown, but the westbound exit will stay open. This most recent phase of “Fixin’ the Mix” can be attributed to none other than the Dallas Horseshoe Project.
To get to both southbound I-35E and eastbound I-30, the traffic gurus will steer southbound traffic on to Exit 429A and Woodall Rodgers Freeway (that's also known as Spur 366, toward U.S. 75/I-45). Signs will direct drivers to 30.
Fortunately, the closure’s only scheduled to last until 10 a.m. Saturday. And during those 12 hours, message boards (hopefully, unhacked) will be placed along the road to clue in drivers about any associated closures and detours.
Not to condone texting and driving, but you can stay updated about traffic closures by signing up for text alerts (send “dallashorseshoe” to 31996) or looking for Dallas Horseshoe on Twitter and Facebook. And, the project usually uploads a YouTube video beforehand to further explain the latest traffic shifts.
What’s Coming Up
If you’re one to plan ahead, the Dallas Horseshoe website includes upcoming lane closures, including northbound and southbound Riverfront Boulevard at I-30 on Saturday night, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. See this map.
Plus, all the work in the Mixmaster done last weekend created new traffic patterns, which you can also commit to memory via the website or by listening to KERA News' music-rich audio story.
About Dallas Horseshoe Project
The nearly $800 million Horseshoe Project by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began in April 2013 and is expected to be completed by next summer.
The goal is to improve downtown Dallas traffic by configuring the Mixmaster into more of a U-shape flow, hence the "horseshoe." Construction projects include expanding, repaving, and adding new bridges and roadways along I-30 and I-35E. Plus, the new Margaret McDermott Bridge over I-30 comes with the deal, too.
