Plans underway to expand often-congested highway in Northeast Tarrant County
Plans are in the works to add lanes to the often-congested Loop 820/Texas 121/183 Airport Freeway corridor in Northeast Tarrant County.
Northeast Loop 820 will get two general purpose lanes, one in each direction, from Interstate 35W to the Airport Freeway interchange. Airport Freeway will get an additional TEXPress lane in each direction, from the interchange to Industrial Boulevard in Euless. The stretch of highway is among the most congested in the state, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
The expansion should help decrease prices on the managed lanes, said Robert Hinkle, a spokesperson for North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners, while moderating a panel Friday at the Tarrant Transportation Summit. He was among the government and transportation officials who attended the event at the Hurst Conference Center.
“When you’re in there peak of peak and it’s just as congested as can be, that algorithm ticks up to a certain point where it’s trying to kick people off, so they can keep those on it ... moving at a minimum of 50 mph,” he said. “The expansion of this capacity should alleviate that in the corridor.”
The project is expected to cost around $300 million to $350 million and will be funded through toll lane revenue. The corridor is managed by NTE Mobility Partners. Hinkle hopes financing is finalized by the end of the year. After that, officials will have a better idea of when construction can start.
Hinkle said the expansion was built into the company’s 2009 contract with the state. That provision required plans to build a third toll-free lane on Northeast Loop 820 by July 1, 2029, with work ending Dec. 31, 2030. A Texas Department of Transportation previously told the Star-Telegram the developer was also required to add a third toll lane in each direction.
“That original corridor was built with that expansion in mind, right?” Hinkle said. “So the disruptions, even though it’s construction, it’ll be a little bit painful, but the disruptions should be manageable.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 3:00 PM.
