DALLAS - TxDOT received environmental clearance for the plan to reconstruct I-345, the Downtown Dallas interstate that connects Highway 75 and Interstate 30 near Deep Ellum.
TxDOT's environmental clearance now paves the way for the I-345 project to move forward, right after an I-30 construction project is finished.
Construction is set to start on the project in just a few months.
Local perspective:
Plans to transform Interstate-345 from a bridge to below street level, now have all the green lights to move full speed ahead, except one.
"Still need to identify $1 billion. The total cost is $1.7 billion," said Tony Hartzel, the spokesman for TxDOT Dallas.
Hartzel says TxDOT has the sources for the eventual funding from gas taxes and propositions.
I-345 is a 2.8-mile stretch of interstate on the east-side of Downtown Dallas that connects Highway 75 to Interstate 30.
Before construction can start, TxDOT needs to do another major overhaul of Interstate 30, just south of the convention center between I-35 and I-45. That is the I-30 canyon project.
What they're saying:
"With construction on I-30 with Canyon Project, I-345, at the same time, we think it will be very impactful. Ideally, finish Canyon and start I-345 shortly thereafter," said the TxDOT spokesman. "We have ways to plan for traffic. For I-30 we have some good plans to keep traffic moving. We do not anticipate major closures during the day. We will use off-peak hours to ensure traffic flows as much as possible."
Timeline:
The Canyon Project could get started in just a matter of months, but it will take years to complete. Once the Canyon Project is complete, the I-345 project could get started in 2029.
What's next:
I-345 does have the potential for decks to be built on top. TxDOT says now is the time for those plans to get finalized in order for the decking construction to take place at the same time as the interstate construction.