Notice Affording Opportunity for a Public Hearing for SH 161 from South of SH 183 to North of Belt Line Road
Purpose:
TxDOT is the Lead Agency proposing improvements to SH 161 from South of SH 183 to North of Belt Line Road in the City of Irving, Dallas County, Texas, for a distance of approximately 5.4 miles. This north-south segment of SH 161 currently operates as non-tolled roadway between two tolled segments currently operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority. Within the project limits SH 161 is a north-south urban freeway. Pursuant to Texas Administrative Code, Title 43, §2.106 this notice is affording an opportunity for a public hearing on the proposed project.
Description:
The existing facility consists of a six-lane divided freeway with two, 12-foot freeway lanes and one interim lane in each direction. The interim lanes vary in width from 11 to 12 feet and are Peak Hour Lanes open to traffic only during morning and evening peak travel times. In addition, the typical median width throughout the project limits is 54 feet. The approximate right-of-way (ROW) width is 600 feet. Continuous northbound and southbound frontage roads with three, 12-foot travel lanes in each direction exist between SH 183 and the northern terminus of the project.
The proposed project would modify SH 161 by reconstructing the freeway mainlanes and access ramps to accommodate the addition of travel lanes within the median. The purpose of the project is to improve mobility, operational efficiency, and reliability for this segment of the SH 161 corridor. This proposed project would remove the (interim) Peak Hour Lanes and provide four additional mainlanes. The facility would be widened to an eight-lane freeway (four mainlanes in each direction) and would accommodate the future managed lane direct connectors (DC) between SH 183 and the SH 161 mainlanes. Three of the existing four DCs providing access to and from SH 183 would be re-aligned up to the structure approach slab, thus allowing to maintain the existing structures. The proposed improvements would also entail modifying the access ramps to accommodate the additional mainlanes at Rochelle Road, Northgate Drive, Walnut Hill Drive, and Belt Line Road. The proposed project is located entirely within the existing 600-ft wide ROW and no new ROW or easements (temporary or permanent) would be required, thus no displacements are anticipated. The proposed project would not impact the FEMA-designated 100-year floodplain. The project determined one noise barrier to be feasible and reasonable per TxDOT’s Guidelines for the Analysis and Abatement of Roadway Traffic Noise and would be located adjacent to the northbound frontage road and north of Rainier Street. The final decision to construct the proposed noise barrier will not occur until completion of the project design, utility evaluation, and polling of the adjacent property owner(s).
The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal Environmental Laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16, 2014, and executed by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and TxDOT.
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