GRAPEVINE -- Frustrated drivers in the busy Grapevine corridor are starting to see some improvement in traffic flow with the opening of new bridges and expanded lanes.
The 8.4-mile, $1.02 billion construction project will be largely complete by midsummer, a year ahead of schedule, said Kristen Schropp, spokeswoman for the DFW Connector.On the east end of the project, a new flyover bridge opened this week, allowing drivers to go from southbound International Parkway to eastbound Texas 114 toward Irving. The southbound International Parkway bridge will be torn down this weekend -- the project's 17th and final bridge demolition, Schropp said.On the west side, workers have removed the barriers on the William D. Tate Avenue bridge, which is now open to six lanes of traffic. By the end of the year, the bridge will have turnarounds on both sides to allow drivers to make U-turns without stopping at traffic lights.But an even better solution is on the horizon, Schropp said."They know that what they've been facing for decades, which is congestion, is going to be gone in a matter of months," Schropp said.In October 2011, NorthGate Constructors began setting hundreds of girders and pouring concrete on two massive flyover bridges that will allow traffic to change highways without having to stop for lights on Tate Avenue.The 3,700-foot-long flyover bridge from eastbound Texas 114 to southbound Texas 121 will be finished by the end of the year, Schropp said.During rush hour, the bridge could save drivers as much as 10 minutes.Commuters will have to wait a little longer for the other flyover bridge from northbound Texas 121 to westbound Texas 114. Schropp said it's not expected to be finished until 2013.That 3,600-foot bridge starts with a ramp near Mustang Drive, soars over Texas 121 and the Tate Bridge and ends with a ramp onto Texas 114.By Thanksgiving, the bridge and intersection with Main Street will open to full capacity as workers finish paving the final sections of the road.
Road closures
Texas 114 will be closed in both directions at International Parkway from 8 tonight to 6 a.m. Monday.
For a full list of highway closures, traffic shifts, maps, detours and construction updates, visit dfwconnector.com.
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