Dallas city leaders heard updates Wednesday about ongoing plans to replace the I-345 overpass with an underground highway.
The highway runs north-south between downtown Dallas and Deep Ellum and sees an average of 200,000 drivers per day, according to TXDoT.
I-345 has been a source of contention among critics who say it has divided parts of the city since it was built in 1973. City leaders have also said the aging highway is nearing the end of its functional life.
The briefing from TXDoT Wednesday gave city council members a closer look at the years-long process of replacing the highway.
“We're not quite done refining the final schematic for Interstate 345, but we feel like we're getting very close,” said Ceason Clemens, Dallas district engineer for TXDoT, to city officials.
Last May, the city council approved a resolution of support for a “refined hybrid option” to replace the highway with a tunneled route at a cost of $1.6 billion. This was despite calls from activists and community members to instead replace it with a boulevard.
But the resolution came with conditions, including aligning the project with the city’s racial equity and environmental policies.
“We're still maintaining that neighborhood connectivity,” Clemens said. “With the interstate still being there as a freeway, we believe that we're making sure that we're continuing the opportunities that exist there today, and really making sure that no historically disadvantaged communities are disproportionately impacted.”
The project will also free up some land — about 6.7 surplus acres that TXDoT can sell along with another 6.4 acres of “capping opportunities” that Clemens said could provide economic development benefits.
District 13 council member Gay Donnell Willis asked Clemens if the city could get a head start on rezoning the surplus land, even though it hasn’t been freed up yet.
“Since its use now is as a highway, but it's going to be freed up, so that when that trigger gets pulled, we could make sure that whoever purchases it is within the city's vision,” Willis said.
Clemens said the city could potentially make a multiple-use agreement with the state to keep it in the TXDoT’s right of way, but was unclear on whether the city can zone the land before it's sold.
District 4 council member Jesse Moreno asked if TXDoT was regularly meeting with various stakeholders who may be impacted by the project, including the Deep Ellum Foundation and Downtown Dallas Inc. Clemens said her team is meeting with them at least twice a month.
“I know there's still a lot of details to be worked out, but I know that there's a willingness to do that,” Moreno said.
Clemens added that the project would include sidewalks and bike lines across several city streets, as well as opportunities for park amenities on the proposed bridges over the tunneled highway.
She said it could take 4 or 5 years to find the funding for the project, followed by another 5 years of construction.
“That would be an optimistic view that in 10 years, it's going to be complete and we're cutting the ribbon,” Clemens said.
Clemens also said TXDoT plans to hold a hearing to get more public input on the project by early 2025.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org. You can follow him on X @pabloaarauz.
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