South end: I-30 / I-45 in Dallas Constructed 23 August 1973 | Length 2.3 km | |
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Existed: August 23, 1973 (1973-08-23) – present North end: US 75 / Spur 366 in Dallas | ||
Interstate 345 (I-345) is the 1.4-mile-long (2.3 km) freeway connecting I-45 (which ends at the intersection with Interstate 30) with U.S. Highway 75 (US 75, North Central Expressway) at Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) in Dallas. Few maps actually display the road as I-345; sign posts on the road only show US 75. In recent years, a debate over whether to maintain or decommission I-345 has received increased attention from several Dallas media outlets.
Contents
- Map of I 345 Dallas TX USA
- Route description
- History
- DecommissioningRemoval proposal
- Exit list
- References
Map of I-345, Dallas, TX, USA
Route description
I-345 serves as the connection between I-45 and the North Central Expressway (US 75). It starts at the intersection of I-45 and I-30, passes by downtown Dallas and connects to US 75 at the Spur 366 junction. The entire stretch of I-345 is elevated allowing for better connections between the Central Business District and Deep Ellum.
Although I-345 uses its own mileposts, the exit numbering is not consistent. The exit numbers on the northbound stretch count upwards from the I-45 numbers (the exit for Spur 366 being labeled as exit 286A), while on the southbound stretch the Spur 366 exit is numbered exit 1A, followed by the exit for Ross Avenue numbered exit 285.
History
In 1964 I-345, extending I-45 north along the proposed Central Expressway bypass, was added as a proposed state highway. I-345 was built and opened in the 1970s. At the north end, before it merged into the Central Expressway (which continued to carry US 75), I-345 straddled the bridges over Bryan Street and Ross Avenue, the latter the location of the opening ceremonies in 1949. Because of their location, these two bridges were not replaced in the 1990s reconstruction of the North Central Expressway, and are the only surviving grade separations from the initial construction north from downtown.
Decommissioning/Removal proposal
There has recently been a growing level of local news coverage of a proposal to completely remove I-345, and decommission it from the Interstate Highway System.
The proposal would demolish the elevated structure but, instead of replacing it with a below-grade structure (similar to that of Woodall Rogers), it would be replaced with an at-grade parkway and reconnected streets (some of which are disconnected by the current structure).
Media outlets, including The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Observer, and D Magazine first discussed the proposal in 2012 and 2013.
In February 2014, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced plans to spend $100 million to repair the existing I-345 structure, but Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings responded by saying that the decommissioning/removal alternative should be further considered before any repair. After further investigation, Rawlings concluded that repairs should proceed in advance of a study and decision on the fate of the road.
In April 2014, Michael Morris, the transportation director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, created controversy by suggesting that proponents of the decommissioning/removal are predominantly white, wealthy, and do not live in the area near I-345, as opposed to predominantly African-American, working class, South Dallas residents that could be affected by the decommissioning/removal. Morris later apologized for his comments.
With its May 2014 issue, D Magazine became the first major local news publication to endorse the decommissioning/removal proposal.
Exit list
The entire highway is in Dallas, Dallas County.