The 109

Construction near I-30 to last another week

By TCU 360

Published Feb 20, 2015

On any given day during the spring, summer and fall you can drive down North Bellaire Drive and see the TCU football team having practice for a couple hours and calling it a day.What you do not see is what the team is doing off the field to get better, and I do not mean a couple curls in the weight room either.

Yes, football players spend a lot of time in the weight room pumping out set after set of bench press in order to obtain their freakishly large muscles, but many times it is not their brawn that wins games, it’s their brains.

Drivers should expect nighttime lane closures on Interstate 30 for the rest of the month as construction of the Chisholm Trail Parkway is completed.

The lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. began this week with the westbound lanes fully closed and one eastbound lane open. This pattern is likely to switch next week, said Michael Rey, media relations manager for North Texas Toll Authority.

Construction on the Chisholm Trail Parkway slowed during Christmas and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, which was held in the nearby cultural district.

Construction will slow again during spring break for the heavy traffic going to the Fort Worth Zoo, said Bryan Beck, regional transportation manager with the city manager’s office.

The 28-mile parkway is a joint project between Fort Worth and NTTA, Beck said. The speed limit through the city will stay 50 mph to help keep road noise down through the neighborhoods along the CTP. TxDOT and Fort Worth will conduct a speed study next year, he said.

The city hopes the toll road will help traffic congestion on Bryant Irvin Road and Hulen Street, Beck said.

But the construction prompted the closure of access to I-30 from Forest Park Boulevard. Beck said the city will monitor University Drive and Summit Avenue to see how much traffic each absorbs because of the Forest Park Boulevard closure.

He said signal lights, timing and new turn lanes will help traffic congestion in the short term.

“The best plan for University Drive is to wait until the CTP is completed to evaluate traffic flow,” said Beck.