35Express Project Provides a Valuable Option for Motorists

The $1.4 billion I-35E Managed Lanes Project transformed a 30-mile corridor in Dallas and southern Denton counties, one of North Texas’ fastest-growing areas. The 35Express project, as it is known, converted two concurrent, high-occupancy vehicle lanes into dynamically priced, reversible managed lanes, and provided additional main lanes for 21 miles. Also, the project improved safety by adding a second bridge over Lewisville Lake.

The I-35E managed TEXpress Lanes opened May 20, 2017. They provide a valuable option for motorists looking to save time and gas money by avoiding traffic. The project’s18-mile managed lane section now handles almost 500,000 transactions a week. Substantial completion occurred Oct. 20, 2017.

Two reversible lanes with dynamic pricing that moves traffic at least 50 mph. The lanes reverse direction twice daily, southbound in the morning toward Dallas and northbound in the afternoons and evenings. This project enhances air quality and also improves the quality of life and by offering motorists an option to avoid congestion, increasing their flexibility to manage work and family schedules. The project also encourages car-pooling by offering half-price managed lane discounts during peak hours for registered vehicles with two-plus occupants, a much-needed option as Denton County’s population rises.

Public acceptance has grown steadily. Transactions have doubled since it opened.

Finally, the project improves the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of residents north of Lake Lewisville, which had been a major chokepoint for decades. Incidents on the lake bridge would shut down traffic for hours, and motorists had no relief routes. The new southbound I-35E bridge and rehabilitated northbound bridge provide capacity for new managed lanes and frontage roads. Those serve as relief routes during major incidents. The bridges also feature bike/pedestrian lanes, which connect suburbs on the north side to a commuter rail station on the lake’s southern side.