Dallas drivers are facing another round of major disruptions as all eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 30 between I-35E and I-45/U.S. 75 are scheduled to close from 10:00 p.m. Friday, January 30, through 5:00 a.m. Monday, February 2, weather permitting. The closure is part of ongoing construction tied to the $888 million I-30 Canyon Improvement Project, one of the largest infrastructure efforts currently reshaping downtown Dallas.
District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua warned residents to expect significant delays via his Instagram account and office newsletter, urging motorists to use SH 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) as the primary detour and to avoid non-essential travel in the area. Long-term impacts remain in effect as well, including the closure of Cesar Chavez Boulevard, Cadiz Street, and Akard Street at I-30, reduced lanes along Good Latimer Expressway, and restricted pedestrian access in active work zones.
While the weekend shutdown may feel abrupt, the reality is that what Dallas residents are experiencing today was set in motion years ago.
In March 2021, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), alongside the City of Dallas and regional partners, formally submitted a federal infrastructure grant application outlining a sweeping vision to remake the depressed stretch of I-30—commonly referred to as the “Canyon”—between I-35E and I-45/I-345. The corridor, originally constructed in 1965, was acknowledged in the document as having physically and economically severed South Dallas from downtown for decades, contributing to disinvestment and isolation south of the freeway The I30 Canyon Project_TxDot.
The proposal framed the project as an effort to “break barriers” by rebuilding the highway, restoring the street grid, improving safety, and reconnecting communities long divided by infrastructure decisions made more than half a century ago.
What the I-30 Canyon Project includes
According to the 2021 application, the project spans roughly 2.3 miles and includes:
- Reconstructing and widening I-30 to modern safety standards
- Eliminating outdated collector-distributor lanes and dangerous left-hand exits
- Restoring local street connections such as Browder Street, Cadiz Street, and Cesar Chavez Boulevard
- Adding Complete Streets elements to support pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders
- Unlocking more than 14 acres of surplus right-of-way for future redevelopment
- Improving rail and transit connectivity near the Convention Center and Cedars neighborhoods The I30 Canyon Project TxDOT
At the time, the total project cost was estimated at $564.7 million, with TxDOT requesting $146 million in federal INFRA funding to leverage additional state and federal dollars. As the project evolved and construction advanced, overall costs have since grown, now widely cited at approximately $888 million.
South Dallas bears the weight of transition
For South Dallas residents, the impacts of the project are not theoretical—they are daily realities. The recent nearly four-month closure of the Malcolm X Boulevard bridge underscored how construction tied to long-term infrastructure goals can significantly disrupt access to jobs, schools, healthcare, churches, and small businesses.
The 2021 plan openly acknowledged stark disparities along the I-30 corridor. At the time, median household income in the Cedars neighborhood south of downtown was reported at under $29,000, compared to roughly $68,000 north of the freeway. The document identified I-30 itself as a contributor to that divide The I30 Canyon Project_TxDot.
For now, however, residents are navigating detours, extended commutes, and reduced accessibility—living proof that infrastructure decisions made in planning documents years earlier can shape everyday life, and for almost a decade.