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TxDOT briefs Dallas committee on major projects, says I‑345 needs $1.65 billion to build
Summary
TxDOT told the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that construction on I‑345 is estimated at $1.65 billion, with $595 million identified to date; officials said environmental clearance is complete and described other ongoing Dallas projects including LBJ East and bridge re‑decking on I‑345.
TxDOT district engineer Ceeson Clemens told the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Nov. 18 that the agency is advancing multiple major projects in Dallas and continues to seek construction funding for Interstate 345.
"As you all know, this reconstructs Interstate 635 from US 75 to Interstate 30," Clemens said when previewing the LBJ East (I‑635) project, then summarized the I‑345 update: "Construction cost is $1,650,000,000," a figure he said has not changed since the last council briefing. Clemens said TxDOT currently has $370 million in its 2026 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) for I‑345 and recently learned the bridge division plans to allocate $225 million in federal bridge‑replacement funds, bringing the project total to about $595 million committed so far.
Clemens said TxDOT received environmental clearance for I‑345 on Sept. 15, which allows the agency to acquire right‑of‑way when needed and to proceed to construction once funding is in place. He said TxDOT has applied for an $800 million federal grant and will request additional amounts in future UTP updates. "We truly anticipate that it's gonna take us several more years, in order to fully fund this project," Clemens said.
The presentation also covered a series of active projects in Dallas. On the LBJ East project (I‑635), Clemens said all traffic is on new pavement and crews expect substantial completion in spring 2026, with punch‑list work remaining on city streets. He reported the former Esenwright Freeway has been converted to a six‑lane arterial and noted a $26 million US‑175 at Lake June project and a $79 million I‑20 frontage road project at Redbird Mall that are largely complete.
Clemens described recent maintenance on I‑345 that included re‑decking and superstructure repairs. He said TxDOT performed a skid‑abrasion treatment on some bridge surfaces to improve wet‑weather traction after a series of wet‑weather crashes and that those change orders were funded from TxDOT’s preventative maintenance funds.
Committee members asked about inflation adjustments to the $1.65 billion estimate, the timing for construction, maintenance practices and right‑of‑way management. Clemens said cost estimates are updated annually and that a portion of project prices had declined in the months before the briefing. He said the bridge replacement funds would likely be available beginning in 2029 and that TxDOT prefers to avoid running concurrent major construction on I‑30 and I‑345 but is aiming for a sequence that limits disruptive overlap.
On financing, Clemens described a potential option to borrow against right‑of‑way that TxDOT believes could later be offset by selling surplus parcels at fair market value; he called the idea a new opportunity being pursued with the agency’s finance division.
The committee did not take a formal vote on any TxDOT funding request during the meeting; Clemens said TxDOT will continue to seek funds through the UTP and federal grant programs and return with updates at regular briefings.
