Drivers who travel through East Fort Worth on Loop 820 should be aware of several overnight freeway shutdowns happening this week.
Beginning Tuesday night, March 17, crews will close sections of northbound and southbound East Loop 820 at several points along the corridor. Each closure is scheduled to run from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m., and traffic will be forced off the freeway onto nearby service roads while crews work in the area.
These closures are part of ongoing construction tied to the massive Southeast Connector project, one of the largest highway projects underway in North Texas. The project is rebuilding and expanding key portions of Interstate 820, Interstate 20 and U.S. 287, including their interchanges and frontage roads, to improve traffic flow and safety in the southeast Fort Worth area. Construction began in 2023 and is expected to continue through about 2028. The work this week will affect several locations along East Loop 820.
The first shutdown happens Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Crews will close all northbound lanes of East Loop 820 at Highway 287. Drivers traveling north will be directed off the freeway to the service road while construction crews work overnight.
Another overnight shutdown follows Wednesday night. This time, all southbound lanes of East Loop 820 will close at Meadowbrook Drive. Traffic will again be diverted to the service road until the freeway reopens the next morning.
Two closures planned Thursday night
Drivers should expect the most disruption on Thursday night, when two separate shutdowns are scheduled. First, northbound East Loop 820 will close at Sun Valley Drive. Later that same night, southbound East Loop 820 will shut down at Lancaster Avenue. In both cases, traffic will be detoured off the main lanes and routed along the frontage road system until the freeway reopens at about 6 a.m.
Why this corridor keeps seeing construction
The Southeast Connector project is a multi-billion dollar effort to rebuild about 16 miles of highway infrastructure where I-820, I-20 and U.S.-287 intersect. The project will add lanes, rebuild interchanges and construct new collector distributor roads designed to reduce merging conflicts and congestion in one of the region’s busiest freight and commuter corridors.
Transportation officials say the goal is to improve mobility and safety while preparing the area for continued population growth across Tarrant County and the broader Dallas-Fort Worth region.
What drivers should expect
Because these are full directional closures, traffic will not remain on the freeway. Instead, drivers will be forced onto the service road network at each location. That means drivers traveling late at night could see slower traffic and possible backups near the work zones. All work is subject to change based on weather conditions.