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Interstate 30
Interstate 30 (I-30) is a major Interstate Highway in the southern states of Texas and Arkansas in the United States. I-30 travels 366.76 miles (590.24 km) from I-20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, and Texarkana, Texas, to I-40 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The highway parallels U.S. Route 67 (US 67) except for the portion west of Downtown Dallas (which was once part of I-20). Between the termini, I-30 has interchanges with I-35W, I-35E, and I-45. I-30 is known as the Tom Landry Freeway between I-35W and I-35E, within the core of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
The largest metropolitan areas that I-30 travels through include the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the Texarkana metropolitan area, and the Little Rock metropolitan area.
The western end and zero mile point of I-30 in Texas is at its interchange with I-20 in Parker County near Aledo. It then travels near Downtown Fort Worth on a new routing further south than the now removed Lancaster Elevated section of the freeway. The section of I-30 between Dallas and Fort Worth is designated the Tom Landry Highway in honor of the longtime Dallas Cowboys coach. This section was previously known as the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike, which preceded the Interstate System.[citation needed] The section from Downtown Dallas to Arlington was widened to over 16 lanes in some sections by 2010.
In Dallas, I-30 is known as East R.L. Thornton Freeway between Downtown Dallas and the eastern suburb of Mesquite. I-30 picks up the name from I-35E south at the Mixmaster interchange. The Mixmaster is scheduled to be reconstructed as part of the Horseshoe project, derived from the larger Pegasus Project. The section from Downtown Dallas to State Highway Loop 12 (Loop 12, Buckner Boulevard) is eight lanes plus an HOV lane. This section will be reconstructed under the East Corridor project to 12 lanes by 2025–2030. From Rockwall to a point past Sulphur Springs, I-30 runs concurrently with US 67. Through Greenville, I-30 is known as Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway. I-30 continues northeasterly through East Texas until a few miles from the Oklahoma state line, when the route turns east toward Arkansas.
I-30 enters southwestern Arkansas at Texarkana.[self-published source] I-30 intersects I-49, after which it travels northeast. I-30 then passes through Hope, Prescott, Gurdon, Arkadelphia, and Malvern. At Malvern, drivers can use US 70 or US 270 to travel into historic Hot Springs or beyond into Ouachita National Forest. There, US 70 and US 67 join I-30 and stay with the interstate into the Little Rock city limits. Northeast of Malvern, I-30 passes through Benton before reaching the Little Rock city limits. From Benton to its end at I-40, I-30 is a six-lane highway with up to 85,000 vehicles per day.[citation needed] As I-30 enters Little Rock, I-430 leaves its parent route to create a western bypass of the city. Just south of downtown, I-30 meets the western terminus of I-440 and the northern terminus of another auxiliary route in I-530. I-530 travels 46 miles (74 km) south to Pine Bluff. At this three-way junction of Interstates, I-30 turns due north for the final few miles of its route. Here, I-30 passes through the capitol district of Little Rock. I-30 also creates one final auxiliary route in I-630, or the Wilbur D. Mills Freeway, which splits Downtown Little Rock in an east–west direction before coming to its other end at I-430 just west of downtown. After passing I-630, I-30 crosses the Arkansas River into North Little Rock and comes to its eastern terminus, despite facing north, at I-40. At its end, I-30 is joined by US 65, US 67, and US 167. US 65 joins I-40 westbound, while US 67 and US 167 join I-40 eastbound from I-30's eastern terminus.
The very first fully controlled-access part of what is now I-30 was the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike, a 30-mile (48 km) controlled-access tollway in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Completed by 1957, it operated as a toll road between 1957 and 1977, afterward becoming a nondescript part of I-20 and then I-30. The road, three lanes in each direction but later widened, is the only direct connection between Downtown Fort Worth and Downtown Dallas. In October 2001, the former turnpike was named the Tom Landry Highway, after the late Dallas Cowboys coach.
The proposed expressway was studied as early as 1944 but was turned down by the state engineer due to the expense.[citation needed] However, in 1953, the state legislature created the Texas Turnpike Authority, which, in 1955, raised $58.5 million (equivalent to $533.08 million in 2024) to build the project. Construction started later that year. On August 27, 1957, the highway was open to traffic, but the official opening came a week later on September 5. The turnpike's presence stimulated growth in Arlington and Grand Prairie and facilitated construction of Six Flags Over Texas. At the end of 1977, the bonds were paid off, and the freeway was handed over to the state Department of Transportation, toll collection ceased, and the tollbooths were removed in the first week of 1978.
The existing US 67 route was already in heavy use in the early 1950s, at which point it was twinned from just east of Dallas to Rockwall and also a rural section near Greenville and a few miles in Hopkins County. There were still a few at-grade crossings on these two sections into the 1980s. The twinned US 67 routes were upgraded to Interstate Highway standards beginning in 1961, forming the R.L. Thornton Freeway. By the mid-1960s, much of I-30 was under construction outside the metroplex as well. The majority of the route was completed by 1965, but a 40-mile (64 km) stretch through rural areas built on a new alignment well away from US 67 between Mount Pleasant and New Boston remained unfinished. This remaining segment was finally built and opened to traffic in 1971, completing I-30.[self-published source]
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Interstate 30
Interstate 30 (I-30) is a major Interstate Highway in the southern states of Texas and Arkansas in the United States. I-30 travels 366.76 miles (590.24 km) from I-20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, and Texarkana, Texas, to I-40 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The highway parallels U.S. Route 67 (US 67) except for the portion west of Downtown Dallas (which was once part of I-20). Between the termini, I-30 has interchanges with I-35W, I-35E, and I-45. I-30 is known as the Tom Landry Freeway between I-35W and I-35E, within the core of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
The largest metropolitan areas that I-30 travels through include the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the Texarkana metropolitan area, and the Little Rock metropolitan area.
The western end and zero mile point of I-30 in Texas is at its interchange with I-20 in Parker County near Aledo. It then travels near Downtown Fort Worth on a new routing further south than the now removed Lancaster Elevated section of the freeway. The section of I-30 between Dallas and Fort Worth is designated the Tom Landry Highway in honor of the longtime Dallas Cowboys coach. This section was previously known as the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike, which preceded the Interstate System.[citation needed] The section from Downtown Dallas to Arlington was widened to over 16 lanes in some sections by 2010.
In Dallas, I-30 is known as East R.L. Thornton Freeway between Downtown Dallas and the eastern suburb of Mesquite. I-30 picks up the name from I-35E south at the Mixmaster interchange. The Mixmaster is scheduled to be reconstructed as part of the Horseshoe project, derived from the larger Pegasus Project. The section from Downtown Dallas to State Highway Loop 12 (Loop 12, Buckner Boulevard) is eight lanes plus an HOV lane. This section will be reconstructed under the East Corridor project to 12 lanes by 2025–2030. From Rockwall to a point past Sulphur Springs, I-30 runs concurrently with US 67. Through Greenville, I-30 is known as Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway. I-30 continues northeasterly through East Texas until a few miles from the Oklahoma state line, when the route turns east toward Arkansas.
I-30 enters southwestern Arkansas at Texarkana.[self-published source] I-30 intersects I-49, after which it travels northeast. I-30 then passes through Hope, Prescott, Gurdon, Arkadelphia, and Malvern. At Malvern, drivers can use US 70 or US 270 to travel into historic Hot Springs or beyond into Ouachita National Forest. There, US 70 and US 67 join I-30 and stay with the interstate into the Little Rock city limits. Northeast of Malvern, I-30 passes through Benton before reaching the Little Rock city limits. From Benton to its end at I-40, I-30 is a six-lane highway with up to 85,000 vehicles per day.[citation needed] As I-30 enters Little Rock, I-430 leaves its parent route to create a western bypass of the city. Just south of downtown, I-30 meets the western terminus of I-440 and the northern terminus of another auxiliary route in I-530. I-530 travels 46 miles (74 km) south to Pine Bluff. At this three-way junction of Interstates, I-30 turns due north for the final few miles of its route. Here, I-30 passes through the capitol district of Little Rock. I-30 also creates one final auxiliary route in I-630, or the Wilbur D. Mills Freeway, which splits Downtown Little Rock in an east–west direction before coming to its other end at I-430 just west of downtown. After passing I-630, I-30 crosses the Arkansas River into North Little Rock and comes to its eastern terminus, despite facing north, at I-40. At its end, I-30 is joined by US 65, US 67, and US 167. US 65 joins I-40 westbound, while US 67 and US 167 join I-40 eastbound from I-30's eastern terminus.
The very first fully controlled-access part of what is now I-30 was the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike, a 30-mile (48 km) controlled-access tollway in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Completed by 1957, it operated as a toll road between 1957 and 1977, afterward becoming a nondescript part of I-20 and then I-30. The road, three lanes in each direction but later widened, is the only direct connection between Downtown Fort Worth and Downtown Dallas. In October 2001, the former turnpike was named the Tom Landry Highway, after the late Dallas Cowboys coach.
The proposed expressway was studied as early as 1944 but was turned down by the state engineer due to the expense.[citation needed] However, in 1953, the state legislature created the Texas Turnpike Authority, which, in 1955, raised $58.5 million (equivalent to $533.08 million in 2024) to build the project. Construction started later that year. On August 27, 1957, the highway was open to traffic, but the official opening came a week later on September 5. The turnpike's presence stimulated growth in Arlington and Grand Prairie and facilitated construction of Six Flags Over Texas. At the end of 1977, the bonds were paid off, and the freeway was handed over to the state Department of Transportation, toll collection ceased, and the tollbooths were removed in the first week of 1978.
The existing US 67 route was already in heavy use in the early 1950s, at which point it was twinned from just east of Dallas to Rockwall and also a rural section near Greenville and a few miles in Hopkins County. There were still a few at-grade crossings on these two sections into the 1980s. The twinned US 67 routes were upgraded to Interstate Highway standards beginning in 1961, forming the R.L. Thornton Freeway. By the mid-1960s, much of I-30 was under construction outside the metroplex as well. The majority of the route was completed by 1965, but a 40-mile (64 km) stretch through rural areas built on a new alignment well away from US 67 between Mount Pleasant and New Boston remained unfinished. This remaining segment was finally built and opened to traffic in 1971, completing I-30.[self-published source]