Traffic Changes In Mixmaster And Dallas North Tollway Closure May Mess Up Your Weekend

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Heed this weekend’s Dallas traffic changes; D-FW nears triple-digit temperatures today; a 381-acre artificial reef is being built off the Texas coast; and more.

Crews are opening new pavement and bridge sections along southbound Interstate-35E and eastbound Interstate-30, as a part of the ongoing Dallas Horseshoe Project.

On Friday evening, there are three things to look out for:

1. Thesouthbound I-35E exit to eastbound I-30 (Exit 428A toward Texarkana) will now be on the right side of the main lanes.

2. The southbound I-35E Riverfront Boulevard exit will now be labeled the eastbound I-30 Riverfront exit.

3. The southbound I-35E exit to Jefferson Boulevardwill be closed until fall 2016, but traffic may use the exits to Colorado Boulevard or Eighth Street to access Jefferson.

On Saturday, traffic will remain in the right lanes to continue along eastbound I-30 through the Mixmaster, according to a press release. The existing eastbound I-30 connection on the left side of the main lanes will close. Also, the Beckley Avenue exit and the Sylvan Avenue on-ramp will switch places.

Here’s a visual aide from the Horseshoe Project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVtFwT-ffOY

Another closure on the Dallas North Tollway between State Highway 121 and Spring Creek Parkway will be closed, in both directions, beginning this tonight until 5 a.m. on Monday. The closure is needed so that beams can be set across the DNT for the Tennyson Parkway bridge. Get more information on the closure.

• It’s hot and humid in North Texas. So very hot and so very humid. Actually, the National Weather Service says some temperatures could near 100 degrees today, and that’s not counting the sweltering 105+ heat indexes across the region. On average, D-FW usually gets its first 100-degree day on July 1, so this week’s heat is early, and speaking for everyone, unwelcome. The best course of action, besides staying in air conditioned spaces until the fall, would be to follow the weather service’s tips for surviving the heat.

• The fifth annual Oak Cliff Film Festival continues through Sunday at the Texas Theatre and other venues in the Dallas neighborhood.The schedulelists 27 feature-length films and 41 short films. Fourteen features will make their Texas premieres among the narrative and documentary competitions and spotlight sections. KERA’s Stephen Becker and Chris Vognar of The Dallas Morning News talked with festival programmers, Barak Epstein and Jason Reimer about this year’s event for The Big Screen. Also, if you don’t want to commit to the whole weekend, tickets for individual screenings are available $11.50 each or in bundles of four for $35 and available at the door for each venue or online. [The Big Screen, Oak Cliff Film Festival]

• A wallaby kept in a cage on the balcony of a Far North Dallas condo has new digs at Dallas Zoo. The animal was confiscated from the condo last week and spent some time at Dallas Animal Services before the zoo offered to house the little guy for a while, according to The Dallas Morning News. The zoo estimates the wallaby is about a year old and he’s doing well despite his former unfavorable conditions. It’s illegal to have a wallaby without a permit in Dallas, the Morning News reported, but the owner is working with the city on his options. [The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Zoo]

• The largest artificial reef ever built in Texas waters will be located six miles off the coast of Port O’Connor. The 381-acre reef in the Gulf will include 500 pyramid-style concrete structures that will measure 10 feet wide on each side and 8 feet high with several round holes on the sides to be accessible to fish, The Associated Press and Victoria Advocate reported. The "Keeping It Wild Reef" is a $1 million project of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, an affiliated foundation and Coastal Conservation Association Texas. It's expected to be in place in 2017. [The Associated Press, Victoria Advocate]