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Interstate 35W (I-35W[a]), an Interstate Highway, is the western half of I-35 where it splits to serve the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. I-35 splits into two branch routes, I-35W and I-35E, at Hillsboro. I-35W runs north for 85.2 miles (137.1 km), carrying its own separate sequence of exit numbers. It runs through Fort Worth before rejoining with I-35E to reform I-35 in Denton. It is the more direct route for long-distance expressway traffic, as is noted on signs on I-35 leading into the I-35W/I-35E splits. During the 1970s, billboards existed on I-35 encouraging travelers to take the faster and shorter I-35W route.

During the early years of the Interstate Highway System, branching Interstates with directional suffixes, such as N, S, E, and W, were common nationwide. On every other Interstate nationwide, these directional suffixes have been phased out by redesignating the suffixed route numbers with a loop or spur route number designation (such as I-270 in Maryland, which was once I-70S) or, in some cases, were assigned a different route number (such as I-76, which was once I-80S). In the case of I-35 in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, since neither branch is clearly the main route and both branches return to a unified Interstate beyond the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, officials at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have allowed the suffixes of E and W in Texas to remain in the present day. I-35 also splits into I-35E and I-35W in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, for similar reasons as the I-35 split in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Route description

Aerial view of I-35W looking toward Denton

I-35 splits into two separately named Interstate Highways just north of Hillsboro, Texas. The routes fork to the northwest and northeast, with I-35W taking the northwest route and I-35E traveling off to the northeast toward Dallas. I-35W travels northwest past the Hillsboro airport through generally rolling farm and ranchlands. It then intersects with U.S. Highway 67 (US 67, East Henderson Street) on the west side of Alvarado. It continues northwest into the southern edge of Fort Worth. At an intersection with State Highway 174 (SH 174, Northeast Wilshire Boulevard), the route turns due north into greater Fort Worth, passing just west of Fort Worth Spinks Airport. Further north, the road reaches a five-level interchange with I-20. The route continues north, reaching downtown Fort Worth. Here, it reaches intersections with I-30, US 287, and US 377/SH 121 (East Belknap Street). I-35W travels north away from downtown concurrent with US 287, next intersecting I-820 just east of Fort Worth Meacham International Airport. Just north of this intersection, US 287 splits to the northwest, along with the southern terminus of US 81. I-35W then gradually shifts to the northeast, passing Fort Worth Alliance Airport and Texas Motor Speedway. It reaches its northern merging point on the southwest side of Denton, merging back together with I-35E to reform I-35, which continues off to the north. Like the I-35 split in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, I-35W uses its own exit numbers and mileposts, while I-35E continues those along I-35 between the city of Laredo and the Oklahoma state line.

History

When first designated, I-35W and I-35E were the only "suffixed" highways in Texas. Subsequently, I-69W, I-69E, and I-69C have been designated.

In May 2014, construction began to build two-lane express lanes from the US 287/SH 280 interchange to North Tarrant Parkway. In August 2018, construction was completed.

On the morning of February 11, 2021, a 133-car pileup occurred in Fort Worth due to cold and icy weather. The pileup, among the worst in American history, killed six people and injured 95 more. The crash occurred north of downtown Fort Worth and spanned 0.5 miles (0.80 km) between SH 183 (Northeast 28th Street) and Northside Drive.[3] The elevated nature of this stretch of highway exacerbated the collision because elevated roadways can be exposed to freezing air from above and below, increasing the chances for ice to form on the roadway.[4] The area had experienced 36 hours of freezing rain before the collision, and workers had pretreated the roadway with brine, but this did not prevent the disaster.[5]

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[6]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Hill0.00.0
I-35 south – Waco
I-35W south and I-35E merge into I-35
0.40.64370
US 77 north / Spur 579 – Hillsboro
Southbound exit only; exit number based on I-35 mileage
0.50.80
I-35E north – Dallas
Northbound entrance only; I-35E exit 370B
3.04.83 FM 2959 – Airport
6.911.17 FM 934
Itasca8.012.98 FM 66 – Itasca
12.520.112 FM 67 – Covington
JohnsonGrandview15.524.915 FM 916 – Grandview, Maypearl
16.626.716
SH 81 south / County Road 201 – Grandview
17.428.017 FM 2258
21.434.421County Road 107
Alvarado24.339.124
I-35 BL north / FM 1706 / FM 3136 – Alvarado
25.941.726A US 67 – Cleburne, Dallas
26.943.326B
I-35 BL south – Alvarado
Former southbound exit; now northbound entrance only
27.243.827County Road 707 / County Road 604
Burleson30.248.630 FM 917 – Joshua, Mansfield
31.951.332Bethesda Road
34.555.535Briaroaks Road / Hidden Creek Parkwayno direct northbound exit (signed at exit 32)
36.759.136 FM 3391 (Renfro Street) / Hidden Creek Parkwayformer Spur 50
Tarrant37.760.737
SH 174 south (Wilshire Boulevard) – Cleburne
No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 36)
37.961.038Alsbury Boulevard / McAlister Road
Fort Worth38.562.039 FM 1187 (Rendon-Crowley Road) / McAlister RoadAccess to Huguley Memorial Medical Center
40.264.740Garden Acres Drive
41.366.541Risinger Road
42.267.942Everman Parkway
43.369.743Sycamore School Roadno direct northbound exit (signed at exit 42)
44.271.144Altamesa BoulevardNo direct southbound exit
44.872.145 I-20 – Abilene, DallasSigned as exits 45A (west) and 45B (east); I-20 exit 437
45.673.446AFelix Streetno direct northbound exit (signed at exit 44)
46.074.046BSeminary Drive
47.075.647Ripy Street
47.676.648ABerry Street – TCU
48.678.248BMorningside Driveno direct northbound exit
48.878.549AAllen Avenueno direct southbound exit (signed at exit 49B)
49.479.549B
Bus. US 287 (Rosedale Street)
Access to John Peter Smith Hospital
50.381.051


I-30 / US 287 south / US 377 south / SH 180 east (Lancaster Avenue) – Abilene, Dallas, Downtown Fort Worth
South end of US 287 / US 377 overlap; signed as exits 51A (I-30 west / US 377 south), 51B (SH 180 east), and 51C (I-30 east) northbound; no access from I-35W north to US 287 south or US 287 north to I-35E south; I-30 exit 15
51.482.752A Spur 280 – Downtown Fort WorthAccess to Fort Worth Central Station
52.083.752B

US 377 north (Belknap Street) / SH 121 north – D/FW Airport
North end of US 377 overlap
52.284.052C
Spur 347 west (Belknap Street)
no direct northbound exit
52.384.252DPharr Street
52.684.752E Carver AvenueNorthbound exit and southbound entrance; access to Fort Worth Central Station
53.185.553Northside Drive / Yucca Avenue
54.086.954A SH 183 (28th Street)
54.988.454BPapurt StreetFormer southbound exit and northbound entrance
54.687.954C33rd Street / Long AvenueFormer northbound exit and southbound entrance
55Frontage RoadSouthbound exit and entrance
55.589.356AMeacham Boulevard
56.691.156BBeach StreetNorthbound exit only
56.490.8
I-820 Express east
57.292.157A I-820Signed as exit 57 southbound; I-820 exit 16
57BFossil Creek BoulevardNorthbound exit only
58.393.858Western Center Boulevard
58.994.859Basswood Boulevard
60.096.660

US 81 north / US 287 north – Decatur, Wichita Falls
North end of US 287 overlap; no northbound entrance
61.198.361North Tarrant Parkwayno direct southbound exit (signed at exit 63)
61.999.663Heritage Trace Parkway
63.7102.564 Golden Triangle Boulevard / Keller-Hicks RoadAccess to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance
65.3105.165
SH 170 east
66.3106.766Westport Parkway
TarrantDenton
county line
67.3108.367Alliance Boulevard
Denton68.4110.168Eagle Parkway
Fort WorthNorthlake line70.4113.370 SH 114 – Dallas, Bridgeport, DFW Airport
71.2114.672Dale Earnhardt Way
Northlake73.8118.874 FM 1171 – Flower Mound, Lewisville
Argyle76.6123.376 FM 407 – Argyle, Justin
ArgyleDenton line78.9127.079Crawford Road / Robson Ranch Road
Denton82.0132.082 FM 2449 – Ponder
84.8136.584 FM 1515 (Bonnie Brae Street) – AirportNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
85.0136.885A
I-35E south – Dallas
Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-35E exit 467
85.1137.085B West Oak StreetNorthbound exit and southbound entrance, access to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton
85.2137.1
I-35 north – Oklahoma City
I-35 exit 467; I-35W north and I-35E merge into I-35
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Interstate Highway No. 35-W". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  2. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Highway Designations Glossary". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "At least 6 dead in 133-car pileup in Fort Worth after freezing rain coats roads". Dallas News. 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  4. ^ Cappucci, Matthew (11 February 2021). "133-car pileup on Fort Worth highway during freezing rain leaves at least 6 dead". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  5. ^ "NTSB Report Details Deadly 133-Car Pileup On I-35 In Fort Worth". KERA News. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  6. ^ "Highway Overview Map of Interstate 35W". Google Maps. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  1. ^ Some sources use "IH-35W", as "IH" is an abbreviation used by the Texas Department of Transportation for Interstate Highways.[2]

External links

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