I-35W, 820 in north Fort Worth will be a maze of closings

It’s a good thing that fans driving down from Oklahoma to see Saturday’s Red River Showdown in Dallas will be using Interstate 35E.

That’s because Interstate 35W and many of its connecting roadways in north Fort Worth are again going to be a mess, beginning Thursday evening and continuing through Monday morning.

The work will take a break from 10 a.m. Saturday through 9 p.m. Sunday, which should make I-35W agreeable for TCU football fans heading to Manhattan, Kan., this weekend for the Frogs’ game against Kansas State.

What's closed

9 p.m. Thursday through 5 a.m. Friday

▪ Eastbound lanes of Loop 820 will be closed at the I-35W/820 interchange. Traffic will be directed to Meacham Boulevard.

▪ I-35W northbound and southbound connectors to eastbound Loop 820 will be closed. Traffic will be directed to Meacham.

9 p.m. Friday through 10 a.m. Saturday

▪ The I-35W off-ramp to Pharr Street will be closed and traffic will be directed to the next next exit, at Northside Drive/Yucca Avenue.

▪ The westbound Texas 121 connector to southbound I-35W will be closed. Traffic will be directed to Carver Avenue.

9 p.m. Sunday through 5 a.m. Monday

▪ Eastbound lanes of Loop 820 will be closed at the I-35W/820 interchange. Traffic will be directed to Meacham Boulevard.

▪ I-35W northbound and southbound connectors to eastbound Loop 820 will be closed. Traffic will be directed to Meacham.

▪ Northbound and southbound lanes of I-35W at N.E. 28th Street will be closed. Traffic will be directed to the frontage roads.

▪ Eastbound and westbound lanes of N.E. 28th Street will be closed. Eastbound traffic will be directed to Northside Drive, and westbound traffic will be directed to 33rd Street.

The roads less traveled

We suggest avoiding I-35W and 820 during these times and, honestly, as much as possible as the reconstruction project continues.

To bypass I-35W from downtown to north Fort Worth, motorists should consider using Main Street, Beach Street or Sylvania Avenue. You’ll encounter red lights and stop signs, but mostly avoid orange barriers and stop-and-go traffic (though you might get stuck behind an occasional train).

For more information, go to www.northtarrantexpress.com, where you can view an Alternate Route Map.

The project

The North Tarrant Express I-35W project is a $1.4 billion effort to modernize the corridor from Interstate 30 near downtown Fort Worth to just north of the U.S. 287 “Decatur Cutoff,” just south of North Tarrant Parkway.

The project, which will improve the main lanes and add toll lanes, is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 11:53 AM with the headline "I-35W, 820 in north Fort Worth will be a maze of closings."