Texas Department of Transportation officials told the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on April 21 that the I‑345 Connects schematic has been refined and remains on track for environmental clearance later this summer, but the project currently has no construction funding.

Ceeson Clemens, Dallas district engineer for TxDOT, said the study covers Interstate 345 “from essentially Woodall Rogers to just south of Interstate 45, approximately 2.8 miles in length.” The schematic compresses the existing footprint, creating an estimated 6.3 acres of surplus right-of-way and identifying about 9.6 acres of potential capping opportunities. Clemens cautioned that capping would require separate funding: “TxDOT does not traditionally fund the capping opportunities,” he said, and further refinement is needed because capping “would cost quite a bit of money.”

Clemens detailed design changes since the last briefing: removal of an Allen Street connection, simplification of the Cesar Chavez exchange, addition of a southbound I‑345 bypass to Live Oak/Pacific to preserve unimpeded access to Baylor Scott & White, removal of a Hawkins/Bridal connection, realignment of some city street connections to increase developable area, drainage easements tied to Mill Creek and the Trinity River system, and an added northbound exit providing access to both Canton and Elm streets.

On freight and truck routing, Clemens said I‑345 is on the national highway freight network and noted constraints on rerouting trucks: hazardous-material routing would require federal approval and is not currently a common change. He said Federal Highway Administration has not provided recent examples of rerouting interstate freight and that a reroute would require evidence of safety issues, an impact analysis on interstate commerce, an alternate route and local government consultation.

TxDOT has scheduled public hearings the week of April 21 (in-person hearings at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church and St. Philip’s School and a virtual option). Clemens said public comment at those hearings is “our last opportunity to get major public feedback,” and that, barring major changes, the project could seek environmental clearance late this summer. He gave a planning-level construction cost of $1.65 billion and said TxDOT has no construction funding yet; he estimated it could take three to five years to identify funding of that magnitude.

Committee members praised the outreach and asked questions about congestion management during construction, consolidation of exits and multimodal accommodations. Clemens said the design includes bicycle and pedestrian connections at each city street crossing, said the streetcar could be accommodated on future structures and confirmed coordination with DART. He also noted TxDOT has held more than 55 meetings with city staff and stakeholders such as Baylor Scott & White, Downtown Dallas Inc., and Deep Ellum and pointed to planned city-funded studies, including a $2 million HUD grant to study city street connections within the I‑345 footprint.

What’s next: TxDOT will hold the scheduled public hearings, post materials online, and return with updates per the council’s request; environmental clearance and funding identification are prerequisites to construction.