Traffic backs up in the late afternoon along Interstate 35W heading north near US 287. The stretch of highway is one of the major bottlenecks in the region.
Yffy Yossifor
yyossifor@star-telegram.com
Over the next several years, north Tarrant County will see roughly $1.5 billion of investments to “build a spine” of improved roads and highways.
The goal is to lessen the bottlenecks along Interstate 35W, U.S. 287, Loop 820, Avondale-Haslet Road, Bonds Ranch Road and Boat Club Road.
Though it is not the final solution, planners hope to get ahead of the thousands of houses slated for the area.
Money to fund the project will come from a combination of federal and state grants, Tarrant County, Fort Worth and TxDOT, officials said during a public meeting March 12 in far north Fort Worth.
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The Haslet Parkway connection between the city and Intermodal Parkway was partially finished in 2023, but has been put on pause to determine what should be done to cross the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks parallel to Blue Mound Road.
Construction will continue with either a “short bridge” or a “long bridge,” depending on federal funding. Both options connect Haslet Parkway to Avondale-Haslet Road.
The state has denied funding for the long bridge. Michael Morris, the NCTCOG director of transportation, said the plans might have been submitted to the federal government, but he won’t know for a couple of weeks.
If the project does not receive money from the federal government, the plan will revert to the initial short bridge design.
Morris said he will ask TxDOT to expedite the process as soon as a plan is decided.
The $72.6 million Avondale-Halset Road construction began March 2 and is expected to finish in fall 2028. Once completed, the two-lane road will be a four-lane divided road with sidewalks on either side. Traffic signals will be added at Willow Springs Road North, Willow Springs Road South and Sendera Ranch Blvd.
U.S. 287 corridor
The U.S. 287 corridor will see a number of projects aimed at reducing congestion from Interstate 35W to the Tarrant-Wise county line with additional lanes, new roads and highway ramps.
David Salazar, TxDOT Fort Worth district engineer, said the project cost is “astronomical,” but segments of construction will happen as funding becomes available.
The first section will cost $78 million and create an interchange at Northstar Parkway. Construction on the four-lane bridge with turn lanes is set to begin June 2027.
In summer 2029, construction begins to create continuous one-way frontage roads on each side from Avondale-Haslet Road to Harmon Road. The project will relocate entrance and exit ramps to help alleviate congestion from surrounding neighborhoods.
The project will cost about $230 million and is already fully-funded, Salazar said.
In spring 2027, an $80 million interchange at Harmon Road and North Tarrant Road will be constructed to create a double cross at U.S. 287 instead of one with two roundabouts.
Vehicles cross the BNSF railroad tracks on Bonds Ranch Road just west of U.S. 287 on Monday, June 5, 2023, in north Fort Worth. The Federal Railroad Administration has allocated $17 million to TxDOT to build a four-lane bridge across the BNSF tracks. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com Bonds Ranch improvements
The Bonds Ranch project is a six-part project to remove roundabouts, widen lanes and add a bridge or tunnel around the BNSF railroad tracks. The improvements will run from U.S. 287 to Boat Club Road.
To prepare for the road’s makeover, a temporary U-turn south of Blue Mound Road will be made to give residents another way to access their neighborhoods
Boat Club Road and Morris Dido Newark Road
Boat Club Road/Morris Dido Newark Road will be expanded from two to six lanes as part of a $360 million expansion along the 11-mile stretch. There is no set date for the project’s start or completion. Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez said the design process is about 60% complete, and then the team will move into right-of-way acquisition before going to TxDOT for funding.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.