Mayor Betsy Price will be in Austin Thursday to testify before the Texas Transportation Commission. Price will be speaking on agenda item #4, regarding funding for the final segment of the North Tarrant Express Project, Section 3C.
City officials said they fully expect final approval and funding for Section 3C at the meeting.
Price said during the recent State of the City address that Texas Department of Transportation officials have told her they plan to help alleviate one of the city’s most frustrating areas of traffic congestion. The project would expand I-35W from U.S. Highway 287 about eight miles north to Eagle Parkway. Officials say this highway expansion offers a connection between the downtown business district in downtown Fort Worth to the rapidly growing areas to the north.
City officials noted that since pre-construction started in 2013, there has been a 35 percent increase in traffic on I-35W. Since the completion of segments 3A and 3B average speeds have increased by 20 percent, with overall congestion down by 75 percent. To date, more than 1 million vehicles have utilized 35W managed lanes. Of those vehicles, roughly 40 percent are new users each month. American Infrastructure Magazine rated I-35W the busiest corridor in North America.