Dallas tunnelway migrating north?

Texas Turnpike Corp (TTC), the private group that proposed a Mockingbird Lane tunnelway is migrating north. On the Mockingbird lane alignment, 7km (4.5mi) north of the CBD it ran into fierce resistance from the residents of Highland Park city. Chair of the TTC board Kathy Ingle described some of the meetings with folks there as “real Jerry Springer shows.” The signalized arterial is narrow and TTC wanted to build twin side by side tunnels that involved going under private residential property, if not directly under buildings. A doubledeck tunnel confined strictly to the road right of way, TTC said, would be too expensive to be supported by potential toll revenues.

Metro area transp planners say improved east-west connections are still needed somewhere between the CBD and I-635, the giant LBJ Freeway, a gap of some 15km (9.5mi.) The North Central Texas Council of Govts (NCTCOG) has a small amendment to the region’s 2025 Plan referring to a new east-west facility as “proposed project requires additional analysis.” Modeling has indicated around 100k veh/day and need for 6 motorway lanes, somewhere across the University Park area between I-35E and US-75 (NC Exwy.)

Ingle says TTC is waiting to see if NCTCOG wants to develop the project further. She thinks Loop-12 (Northwest Highway) 3.4km (2.1mi) north of Mockingbird Lane may be an attractive alternative route. We drove recently. It has a wider right of way. It has a high commercial/residential ratio of establishments fronting it. There are sections with few frontage access points. It is eminently upgradeable, much at grade.

Loop-12 is a westward extension of TX-183, the 6-lane Airport Freeway. A signalized arterial it goes just north of Love Field, the city airport before Dallas Fort Worth was built. TTC has its eye on a 14km (9mi) stretch also from I-35E to US-75, but there could be moves to continue the improvements west to the TX-78/I-635 interchange.(Ingle 972 393 0227)