Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

IH-345 in Dallas looks like a perfect candidate for a highway teardown. The 39-year-old, 1.4-mile elevated highway is nearing the end of its useful life, and it's taking up valuable real estate just outside downtown.

false

Patrick Kennedy at Network blog Walkable Dallas Fort Worth estimates the teardown would cost as little as $60 million, while leading to $4 billion in new investment and a surge in property tax revenue.

So why isn't the Texas Department of Transportation investigating this alternative? Kennedy posed the question in a recent article for D Magazine. He certainly makes a good case. Here's an excerpt he reprinted on his blog:

Just as the system of freeways has shifted population outward, removing IH-345 from downtown would draw people into the city. It would reposition 245 acres so that it could be developed into walkable neighborhoods that could be home to 20,000 new downtown residents. Right now there is only $19 million in improvements on those 245 acres, and the city collects a mere $3 million per year in property tax revenue.

By removing the highway, restitching the grid, and creating developable blocks, the city would see $4 billion in new investment within 15 years and generate $100 million a year in property tax revenue, based on our economic impact analysis. That’s enough in one year to implement the entire bike plan and build a new modern streetcar line from West End to Lower Greenville. Through land sales, TxDOT can generate some revenue to begin paying down its debt rather than adding to it.

The road currently carries about 160,000 vehicles daily, but Kennedy makes the interesting point that the Champs-Élysées in Paris carries about three times that much foot traffic daily. Recent highway teardown examples in the U.S. -- like the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco -- show that gridlock doesn't materialize because travel patterns shift, while the removal of a massive, blighting elevated road unlocks the value of nearby land.

Let's see Texas officials give this option the consideration it deserves.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Bike Portland reviews the Ray LaHood era fondly and speculates about who might come next at U.S. DOT. Seattle Bike Blog reports that Copenhagen is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2025, and wonders what it would take for Seattle to achieve the same objective. And the Washington Area Bicyclist Association argues against a proposed mandatory helmet law under consideration in the state of Maryland.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Eyes on the Street: DOT’s ‘Broadway Vision’ Starts to Clear Up

The Department of Transportation has transformed Broadway into a new corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

July 8, 2025

Amsterdam Leads the Way on E-Bike Regulation — Should New York Follow Suit?

The city's biking- and walking-friendly streets expose the hypocrisy harsh e-bike enforcement without better street design.

July 8, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Rethinking Avenue B Edition

DOT is taking feedback on the future of Avenue B. Plus more news.

July 8, 2025

Eric Adams’s ‘Dept. of Sustainable Delivery’ Isn’t Actually A Department

The "Department of Sustainable Delivery" will launch with 45 "peace officers" in 2028, the mayor said on Monday.

July 7, 2025

New Air Quality Stats Dispel Earlier Forecasts for Congestion Pricing Pollution

Air quality has improved or remained steady across the five boroughs since congestion pricing launched in January, city health department data showed.

July 7, 2025

‘Rush’ Routes Debut in Queens Bus Map Overhaul More Than Five Years in the Making

The MTA's new "rush" routes make fewer stops in busy downtown areas to avoid wasted time merging in and out of traffic.

July 7, 2025
See all posts