Interstate 30 expansion project begins in Hunt County

Driving locally will be changed forever, as the largest highway improvement project in Hunt County’s history is starting.

The long-anticipated expansion of Interstate 30 from the current four lanes to six lanes was scheduled to get underway the morning of May 23, according to an announcement from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The widening of the interstate is just one of the efforts planned along the highway in the next few years, as the state agency and county officials attempt to face rapid population growth.

TxDOT announced the project to widen and improve a portion of I-30 is being undertaken by Austin Bridge & Road Services LP, which was granted 1,033 working days, weather permitting, to complete the project valued at more than $128 million. The target completion date for this work is April 2026.

This project is scheduled to extend from one mile west of the I-30 / FM 1903 intersection to one-tenth of a mile east of the Monty Stratton Parkway. The contractor will reconstruct and widen the existing four lanes of I-30 to six lanes; improve intersections at FM 1903, FM 1570, and Monte Stratton Parkway; and reconfigure ramps and widen the frontage roads to convert them to one-way traffic flow.

The contractor anticipates work to convert frontage roads to one-way traffic will begin Monday. A concrete barrier will be placed along portions of the frontage roads to aid in the construction of temporary on- and off-ramps at the intersections and to maintain access for travelers.

The contractor hopes to begin work at the Monte Stratton Parkway at the end of May, with a long-term closure of the west-to-east U-turn lane at the intersection.

In early 2024 crews will begin constructing a new overpass at FM 1570, to realign the road on both sides of I-30. This work will require the closure of FM 1570 at I-30 for the duration of 2024. Traffic will be re-routed through the east-to-west U-turn lane at Monte Stratton Parkway.

The contractor also anticipates beginning work at FM 1903 in early 2024. This bridge over I-30 will be lengthened and raised to improve intersection operations. This intersection will remain open while this work is underway, but occasional temporary closures will be necessary.

Travelers along the roadways in Hunt County may encounter night- and day-time closures as the project progresses, officials said. Long-term closures will be posted in advance using roadside message boards.

The I-30 expansion is being coordinated alongside the Hunt County Thoroughfare Plan, a long range project to address roadway infrastructure in the county.

Many of the proposed thoroughfares in the plan are focused on expected growth to the west of Greenville, and included several east/west routes which would be compatible with projects already included under the county’s $24 million 2016 road bond package and TxDOT’s plan to expand Interstate 30 between the Rockwall and Hopkins county lines.

The Hunt County plan was also designed to work with similar plans already being adopted by cities in the county, as well as plans and programs of adjacent counties and from the Texas Department of Transportation and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

The Hunt County plan takes into account the county’s current growth of approximately 2% a year, with the county’s population to increase by more than 20 percent through 2045.

The most recent update, as presented during the summer of 2021, is available online at https://tinyurl.com/3w26ym65