Horseshoe Project
| Horseshoe Interchange | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Dallas, Texas | |
| Roads at junction |
  |
| Construction | |
| Type | Modified stack interchange |
| Constructed |
1958-1962 (Mixmaster) 2013-2017 (Horseshoe) by Pegasus Link Constructors |
| Maintained by | TxDOT |
The Horseshoe Project was a $798 million[1] highway project that was under construction in Dallas, Texas. The Horseshoe upgraded the congested Mix Master interchange in Downtown Dallas. The Mix Master is a highway interchange which includes Interstate 35E (I-35E) and I-30. Construction began during the spring of 2013 and ended in 2017. Pegasus Link Constructors, a partnership between Balfour Beatty Infrastructure and Fluor Enterprises, used a design-build method. The project included design elements from Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
Overview
In its previous state, the Mix Master was among the 17 most congested roadways in Texas, seeing more than 460,000 vehicles in a week.[2] The project aimed to replace the bridges of I-30 and I-35E that cross the Trinity River that were built in the 1930s and 1950s and the two highways featuring a combined 23 lanes (the original interchange only had 16).[3] $500 million would come from the federal government and the other $298 million would come from the state and local governments.[4]
The Mix Master
The Mix Master was constructed between 1958 and 1962[5] and never saw much significant change since its construction. Minor improvements included converting the shoulders to travel lanes and elevating the HOV Lane for I-35E over the interchange to Houston Street and Jefferson Boulevard. At the time of construction, most freeway traffic in the area went into Downtown, whereas today most bypass it. As a result, the interchange was designed accordingly and had incomplete access along with on-ramps in close proximity to off-ramps that results in a lot of weaving in and out of traffic.
Layout
The Mix Master is essentially a highly modified stack interchange. There is no direct access from eastbound I-30 to southbound I-35E and northbound I-35E to westbound I-30. Due to this problem, many drivers use Riverfront Boulevard. From southbound I-35E, both exits to I-30 are from the left lane (southbound to westbound has a flyover ramp). Northbound I-35E to eastbound I-30 includes an exit to Cadiz Street. Westbound I-30 has a left hand exit to I-35E (at this point, the freeway is only 2 lanes) and the exit to northbound I-35E passes near the old site of Reunion Arena and has a low visibility point. Westbound I-30 to northbound I-35E is a left hand exit (much like the south I-35E exit to west I-30) and drops to two lanes through the area. An unusual design of the Mix Master is that I-35E runs between I-30, which is often the cause of many visibility problems.
City streets in the area include Riverfront Boulevard, Jefferson Boulevard, Houston Street, Cadiz Street and Canton Street.
See also
References
- ↑ "Dallas Horseshoe". Dallas Horseshoe. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Dallas Horseshoe Project Overview". Dallas Horseshoe. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "How the Horseshoe will change your commute into downtown Dallas". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Dallas "Horseshoe" to Replace Notorious Mix-Master". NBC 5 Dallas. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Horseshoe Project Overview". Project Pegasus. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- Staff (Summer 2012). "The Horseshoe Project Design-Build: Project Fact Sheet" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
- "Contract OK'd for Horseshoe Project's Massive Rebuilding of Downtown Dallas Freeways". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 25, 2012. (subscription required)