If you had planned to drive anywhere near Interstate 35W in Fort Worth and Denton County this weekend, we and the Texas Department of Transportation have one request: Don't. Really. Please, just don't.
You may have seen some of the warning signs flashing from Waco to Denton County, telling drivers about the impending horrors of I-35 traffic this weekend. I-35W just north of Fort Worth will be completely shut down, both ways, from around 9 this evening until Monday morning.
The Department of Transportation will be demolishing the Highway 287 bridge over I-35W, just north of Fort Worth. The demolition is part of an expansion project on the 10-mile stretch around I-35W and Loop 820. Current renovations are expected to be completed in 2018, but many Fort Worthians are fed up with the endless delays.
If it seems like I-35W is perpetually under construction, the history of the road shows that it kind of has been. The 3.7-mile stretch north of Fort Worth is known to be the single most congested road in Texas, which is not news to any poor soul who has spent rush hour there.
"From day to day, you're never sure what lanes are open and what's not," Cindy Worrell, a local commuter, told NBC5. "And when there's a wreck or any kind of fender bender, that just delays everything. So, it is frustrating." But it seems the DOT has not been doing a good job in advertising the road closure: Worrell said she didn't even know about it.
Drivers that elect to take I-35W this weekend will be redirected to a single lane off the highway. If you choose to take I-35W, prepare yourself for several hours of 20 Questions with your kids. Don't say we didn't warn you.