Dallas, Texas: I-30 Through Downtown Closes All Weekend Between I-35E and I-45

Drivers who cross downtown Dallas on Interstate 30 will need a different route this weekend. The Texas Department of Transportation will close all lanes of I-30 in both directions between the I-35E and I-45/U.S. 75 interchanges from 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 until 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, weather permitting. A signed detour will send traffic to State Highway 366, the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, for the east-west trip across downtown.

Why the highway is closing

The weekend shutdown is part of the $888 million I-30 Canyon corridor improvement project, which rebuilds the sunken stretch of I-30 south of downtown between the I-35E and I-45 interchanges. Overall completion is expected in 2031, FOX 4 reported. TxDOT told a Dallas City Council committee on Oct. 19 that the full closure is needed to demolish three bridges that cross the interstate, so the new roadway can be built beneath them. The City of Dallas told council members in an Oct. 16 memo that TxDOT planned the closure for the same stretch and the same hours, and that the detour is the one used during other full closures of I-30 earlier this year.

The detour and what to expect

The signed detour uses SH 366/Woodall Rodgers Freeway as the alternate east-west connection between I-35E and I-45/U.S. 75. Other alternate routes may add travel distance. TxDOT warns that significant delays are expected, and it advises drivers to avoid unnecessary travel in the area if possible, plan ahead for extra travel time, and stay alert for slower or stopped traffic. The City of Dallas memo says TxDOT is sending the closure alert to Waze, Apple Maps and Google Maps, posting it on freeway message signs, and sharing it on social media, so the closure should show up in the apps drivers already use.

Street closures already in place at the Canyon

The weekend closure lands on top of long term closures the Canyon project already has in place, all of them weather permitting. All lanes of Cesar Chavez Boulevard are closed at I-30 through late 2028, and Akard Street is closed at I-30 through summer 2028. Cadiz Street is closed at I-30 and will be rebuilt on a new alignment before it reopens later in the project. All lanes of Botham Jean/Lamar Boulevard will be closed and detoured at I-30 through late 2027. Griffin Street and Good Latimer Expressway are each narrowed to one lane in each direction at I-30 through early 2028. Signed detours on nearby streets are in place for the Cesar Chavez, Cadiz and Akard closures, and no pedestrian access is allowed inside the closed work zones.

Before Saturday night

Anyone who drives through downtown on I-30 should pick a route before Saturday night, not after the cones go up. The Woodall Rodgers detour will carry the traffic of a closed interstate plus its own normal weekend load, so trips that cross downtown in either direction will take longer than usual until the highway reopens at 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 26.