Interstate 35W (Texas)
Interstate 35W (I-35W[lower-alpha 1]), 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.
Interstate 35W | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
I-35W highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
| Length | 85.203 mi[1] (137.121 km) | |||
| Existed | 1959–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |    I-35 / I-35E / US 77 near Hillsboro | |||
 US 67 in Alvarado I-20 in Fort Worth I-30 in Fort Worth US 287 in Fort Worth US 377 in Fort Worth I-820 in Fort Worth US 81 / US 287 in Fort Worth | ||||
| North end | I-35 / I-35E / US 77 in Denton | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Counties | Hill, Johnson, Tarrant, Denton | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
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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
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. On 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
| County | Location | mi[6] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hill | | 0.0 | 0.0 |  I-35 south – Waco | I-35W south and I-35E merge into I-35 | |
| | 0.4 | 0.64 | 370 |   US 77 north / Spur 579 – Hillsboro | Southbound exit only; exit number based on I-35 mileage | |
| | 0.5 | 0.80 |  I-35E north – Dallas | Northbound entrance only; I-35E exit 370B | ||
| | 3.0 | 4.8 | 3 |   FM 2959 – Airport | ||
| | 6.9 | 11.1 | 7 |  FM 934 | ||
| Itasca | 8.0 | 12.9 | 8 |  FM 66 – Itasca | ||
| | 12.5 | 20.1 | 12 |  FM 67 – Covington | ||
| Johnson | Grandview | 15.5 | 24.9 | 15 |  FM 916 – Grandview, Maypearl | |
| 16.6 | 26.7 | 16 |   SH 81 south / County Road 201 – Grandview | |||
| | 17.4 | 28.0 | 17 |  FM 2258 | ||
| | 21.4 | 34.4 | 21 | County Road 107 | ||
| Alvarado | 24.3 | 39.1 | 24 |    I-35 BL north / FM 1706 / FM 3136 – Alvarado | ||
| 25.9 | 41.7 | 26A | US 67 – Cleburne, Dallas | |||
| 26.9 | 43.3 | 26B | I-35 BL south – Alvarado | Former southbound exit; now northbound entrance only | ||
| | 27.2 | 43.8 | 27 | County Road 707 / County Road 604 | ||
| Burleson | 30.2 | 48.6 | 30 |  FM 917 – Joshua, Mansfield | ||
| 31.9 | 51.3 | 32 | Bethesda Road | |||
| 34.5 | 55.5 | 35 | Briaroaks Road / Hidden Creek Parkway | no direct northbound exit (signed at exit 32) | ||
| 36.7 | 59.1 | 36 |  FM 3391 (Renfro Street) / Hidden Creek Parkway | former Spur 50 | ||
| Tarrant | 37.7 | 60.7 | 37 |  SH 174 south (Wilshire Boulevard) – Cleburne | No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 36) | |
| 37.9 | 61.0 | 38 | Alsbury Boulevard / McAlister Road | |||
| Fort Worth | 38.5 | 62.0 | 39 |   FM 1187 (Rendon-Crowley Road) / McAlister Road | Access to Huguley Memorial Medical Center | |
| 40.2 | 64.7 | 40 | Garden Acres Drive | |||
| 41.3 | 66.5 | 41 | Risinger Road | |||
| 42.2 | 67.9 | 42 | Everman Parkway | |||
| 43.3 | 69.7 | 43 | Sycamore School Road | no direct northbound exit (signed at exit 42) | ||
| 44.2 | 71.1 | 44 | Altamesa Boulevard | No direct southbound exit | ||
| 44.8 | 72.1 | 45 | I-20 – Abilene, Dallas | Signed as exits 45A (west) and 45B (east); I-20 exit 437 | ||
| 45.6 | 73.4 | 46A | Felix Street | no direct northbound exit (signed at exit 44) | ||
| 46.0 | 74.0 | 46B | Seminary Drive | |||
| 47.0 | 75.6 | 47 | Ripy Street | |||
| 47.6 | 76.6 | 48A | Berry Street – TCU | |||
| 48.6 | 78.2 | 48B | Morningside Drive | no direct northbound exit | ||
| 48.8 | 78.5 | 49A | Allen Avenue | no direct southbound exit (signed at exit 49B) | ||
| 49.4 | 79.5 | 49B |  Bus. US 287 (Rosedale Street) | Access to John Peter Smith Hospital | ||
| 50.3 | 81.0 | 51 |   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 | ||
| 51.4 | 82.7 | 52A |   Spur 280 – Downtown Fort Worth | Access to Fort Worth Central Station | ||
| 52.0 | 83.7 | 52B |  US 377 north (Belknap Street) / SH 121 north – D/FW Airport | North end of US 377 overlap | ||
| 52.2 | 84.0 | 52C |   Spur 347 west (Belknap Street) | no direct northbound exit | ||
| 52.3 | 84.2 | 52D | Pharr Street | |||
| 52.6 | 84.7 | 52E | Carver Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; access to Fort Worth Central Station | ||
| 53.1 | 85.5 | 53 | Northside Drive / Yucca Avenue | |||
| 54.0 | 86.9 | 54A |  SH 183 (28th Street) | |||
| 54.9 | 88.4 | 54B | Papurt Street | Former southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 54.6 | 87.9 | 54C | 33rd Street / Long Avenue | Former northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 55 | Frontage Road | Southbound exit and entrance | ||||
| 55.5 | 89.3 | 56A | Meacham Boulevard | |||
| 56.6 | 91.1 | 56B | Beach Street | Northbound exit only | ||
| 56.4 | 90.8 | — |   I-820 Express east | |||
| 57.2 | 92.1 | 57A | I-820 | Signed as exit 57 southbound; I-820 exit 16 | ||
| 57B | Fossil Creek Boulevard | Northbound exit only | ||||
| 58.3 | 93.8 | 58 | Western Center Boulevard | |||
| 58.9 | 94.8 | 59 | Basswood Boulevard | |||
| 60.0 | 96.6 | 60 | US 81 north / US 287 north – Decatur, Wichita Falls | North end of US 287 overlap; no northbound entrance | ||
| 61.1 | 98.3 | 61 | North Tarrant Parkway | no direct southbound exit (signed at exit 63) | ||
| 61.9 | 99.6 | 63 | Heritage Trace Parkway | |||
| 63.7 | 102.5 | 64 | Golden Triangle Boulevard / Keller-Hicks Road | Access to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance | ||
| 65.3 | 105.1 | 65 |  SH 170 east | |||
| 66.3 | 106.7 | 66 | Westport Parkway | |||
| Tarrant–Denton county line | 67.3 | 108.3 | 67 | Alliance Boulevard | ||
| Denton | 68.4 | 110.1 | 68 | Eagle Parkway | ||
| Fort Worth–Northlake line | 70.4 | 113.3 | 70 |  SH 114 – Dallas, Bridgeport, DFW Airport | ||
| 71.2 | 114.6 | 72 | Dale Earnhardt Way | |||
| Northlake | 73.8 | 118.8 | 74 |  FM 1171 – Flower Mound, Lewisville | ||
| Argyle | 76.6 | 123.3 | 76 |  FM 407 – Argyle, Justin | ||
| Argyle–Denton line | 78.9 | 127.0 | 79 | Crawford Road / Robson Ranch Road | ||
| Denton | 82.0 | 132.0 | 82 |  FM 2449 – Ponder | ||
| 84.8 | 136.5 | 84 |  FM 1515 (Bonnie Brae Street) – Airport | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 85.0 | 136.8 | 85A | I-35E south – Dallas | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-35E exit 467 | ||
| 85.1 | 137.0 | 85B | West Oak Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance, access to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton | ||
| 85.2 | 137.1 | 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
- Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Interstate Highway No. 35-W". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Highway Designations Glossary". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- "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.
- 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.
- "NTSB Report Details Deadly 133-Car Pileup On I-35 In Fort Worth". KERA News. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
- "Highway Overview Map of Interstate 35W". Google Maps. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- Some sources use "IH-35W", as "IH" is an abbreviation used by the Texas Department of Transportation for Interstate Highways.[2]
External links
