Loop 820 closing again in north Fort Worth for road work

Motorists on Loop 820 in north Fort Worth can again expect some late-night closures this week, as workers try to get up to speed on the $1.4 billion overhaul of Interstate 35W.

For the second week in a row, eastbound Loop 820 at I-35W will be closed from 9 p.m. Wednesday through 5 a.m. Thursday for road work. Traffic will be detoured to an area frontage road and to Meacham Boulevard.

The closures affect not only traffic on the Loop 820 main lanes, but also traffic trying to get onto eastbound Loop 820 from northbound and southbound I-35W. But at that time of night the detour delays should be minimal, perhaps three to four minutes of additional travel time, an official said.

“We just want to take advantage of the good weather we’re having,” said Tommy Williamson, spokesman for North Tarrant Express 35W, the contractor. He added that the closure is needed so crews can continue working on a bridge cap above the lanes.

Additional lane closures could be coming later in the week, including the I-35W/28th Street area, Williamson said. But for now officials aren’t ready to publicize a specific time.

To avoid being caught off-guard by lane closures, traffic shifts and other temporary arrangements involving the I-35W expansion, residents can visit Northtarrantexpress.com. Detour maps and traffic advisories are updated regularly, officials said.

Closures are subject to weather, but the chance of precipitation is very small in the Metroplex until the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The North Tarrant Express 35W project includes rebuilding main lanes and adding TEXpress managed lanes. The work is still on schedule to be completed by 2018, despite several delays caused by winter ice and snowstorms, and record rainfall and flooding in May.

The work zone includes a section that is ranked No. 8 on the state’s list of most congested roads. It is 6.5 miles of I-35W from north of Interstate 30 to north of I-820 including the I-35W/I-820 interchange in Fort Worth.

The work includes modernizing I-35W from Interstate 30 near downtown Fort Worth to north of the U.S. 287 “Decatur cutoff.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Loop 820 closing again in north Fort Worth for road work."