Texas State Highway 360

State Highway 360 marker

State Highway 360
Angus G. Wynne, Jr. Freeway
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length: 28.00 mi[1] (45.06 km)
Existed: 1955 – present
Major junctions
South end: US 67 in Venus (proposed)
US 287 in Mansfield
 

I-20 in Arlington
I-30 in Arlington

SH 183 / Int'l Pkwy in Fort Worth
North end: SH 121 at Grapevine
Highway system
SH 359SH 361

State Highway 360 or SH 360 is a 28.00-mile (45.06 km) northsouth state highway in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex in the U.S. state of Texas.

Route description

SH 360 begins as a two-lane road at its southern terminus at US 287 in Mansfield, near the Ellis-Johnson county line. North of its intersection with US 287, SH 360 expands into a pair of two-lane frontage roads, which continue north for another seven miles to the Tarrant-Ellis county line. In southwest Grand Prairie, SH 360 becomes a freeway at an intersection with Sublett Road/Camp Wisdom Road.

Highway 360 near the intersection of Highway Spur 303

From there, the freeway proceeds north through Arlington near its boundary with Grand Prairie, where it SH 360 interchanges with Interstate 20 and then meets Interstate 30. However, SH 360 and Interstate 30 are not directly connected. As a legacy of the original toll road design of Interstate 30 (formerly the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike), the highways connect only indirectly using long access roads that cross surface streets at lighted intersections.[2][3]

From Interstate 30, SH 360 then continues north beyond Arlington, interchanging with State Highway 183 near Euless. From the SH 183 interchange, the freeway continues north-northwest through Euless and into Grapevine, following the western boundary of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. SH 360 terminates at its northern end with an interchange with State Highway 121 in Grapevine.

History

SH 360 was constructed in different stages over the course of several decades. For the most part, each section's frontage roads were built first, handling all of the traffic years before the actual freeway portion was completed (or even begun). Similarly, the interchanges at Interstate 20, Interstate 30, and Highway 183 were in place long before the freeway lanes were completed.

The indirect interchange between SH 360 and Interstate 30 is a holdover from when that freeway was tolled. In order to direct traffic through toll booths, the interchange was designed so that any traffic moving from one freeway to the other was routed through one common, bi-directional ramp. This was a cost-saving measure as it required fewer toll booths. The toll booths were removed in 1977, but the complex access road system remained.

South of SH 183, SH 360 was previously known as Watson Road.[4] The segment through Arlington is also officially designated as the "Angus G. Wynne Freeway" (after the founder of Six Flags); however, neither the official designation nor the older Watson Road name are locally used, the road is generally called "360".

Future

SH 360 / Interstate 30 interchange

The interchange between SH 360 and Interstate 30 in Arlington has become a major bottleneck, compounded by the fact that it intersects with surface streets, and is near major tourist attractions including Six Flags Over Texas and AT&T Stadium.[2] In November 2014, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced that it would be conducting an environmental study on a potential $200 million rebuild of the interchange. The rebuild would offer direct connections between SH 360 and Interstate 30 for the first time.[2] In March 2015, TxDOT approved spending $254 million on the interchange project, which will also include improvements to nearby Six Flags Drive.[3] Ground broke on March 2, 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in 2020 at the cost of $233 million.[5]

SH 360 South freeway construction

The southernmost 9.7-mile (15.6 km) segment of SH 360, from south of Interstate 20 in Arlington to US 287 in Mansfield, was built between 1994 and 2003 as a pair of separated frontage roads, with space reserved between them for main freeway lanes to be added to meet future traffic needs.[6][7] As traffic along the corridor has grown, the SH 360 frontage lanes became increasingly congested. Local and state leaders investigated building out southern SH 360 as a freeway between the existing frontage roads, a project that became known as "360 South".[6][7][7]

On January 25, 2013, TxDOT and the North Texas Tollway Authority approved a deal to build out the 360 South freeway as a toll road, with TxDOT performing the design and construction and the NTTA managing the completed freeway as part of its tollway system.[8] A ceremonial groundbreaking for construction of the 360 South toll road was held on October 21, 2015.[7] The first phase of the project, which will create two grade-separated toll lanes in each direction, will cost $330 million.[7] In the future, the toll road may be expanded to four lanes in each direction.[7]

Proposed extension to Venus

The NTTA's future plans for SH 360 include a further 5.5-mile (8.9 km) extension of the toll road, which would run from the current SH 360 southern terminus in Mansfield to US 67 in Venus.[8]

Major intersections

All exits are unnumbered.

CountyLocationmi[9]kmDestinationsNotes
EllisMansfield0.00.0 US 287 Midlothian, Mansfield
TarrantGrand Prairie9.114.6Camp Wisdom Road / Sublett RoadSouth end of freeway for now.
10.016.1Green Oaks Boulevard Southeast / Kingswood Boulevardinterchange
Arlington11.117.9 I-20 Fort Worth, DallasI-20 exit 453; stack interchange
12.019.3Mayfield Road
13.020.9Arkansas Lane
13.521.7 Spur 303 (Pioneer Parkway)
14.122.7Park Row Drive
15.124.3Abram Streetno direct southbound exit (signed at SH 180)
15.825.4 SH 180 (Division Street/Former US 80) / Randol Mill Road
16.125.9 I-30 / Six Flags DriveI-30 exit 30; no direct southbound exit (signed at Avenue H / Lamar Boulevard)
16.927.2Avenue H / Lamar Boulevard / Avenue J
ArlingtonGrand Prairie line17.327.8Avenue K / Brown Boulevard / Fountain Parkway / Burney Road / Avenue J
Grand Prairie18.629.9Green Oaks Boulevard / Carrier Parkway / Fountain Parkway / Burney Road
19.130.7Post and Paddock Road
20.032.2Riverside Parkway
Fort Worth21.234.1 Trinity Boulevard / FAA RoadAccess to CentrePort/DFW Airport Station
21.835.1Amon Carter Boulevard - D/FW Airport (International Parkway)Northbound exit and southbound entrance
22.335.9 SH 183 Fort Worth, Dallas
22.736.5American BoulevardSouthbound exit only
Euless23.337.5Harwood Road / Midway Drive
24.439.3Mid-Cities Boulevard
EulessGrapevine line25.541.0Glade Road
Grapevine26.342.3Euless-Grapevine Road
27.143.6 SH 121 south / Stone Myers ParkwayNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
27.944.9 SH 121 north
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 360". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Dickson, Gordon (November 29, 2014). "I-30/Texas 360 interchange in Arlington may be rebuilt". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Jinkins, Shirley (March 10, 2015). "State approves $254 million for I-30/Texas 360 interchange rebuild". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  4. Google (March 8, 2008). "overview map of SH 360" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
  5. Formby, Brandon (March 2, 2016). "Hate I-30 and SH 360's alleged interchange? Get ready for a $233 million fix". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "360 South Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). www.drive360south.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ciesco, Tim (October 21, 2015). "Tarrant County Leaders Break Ground on New Texas 360 Toll Lanes". www.nbcdfw.com. KXAS-TV. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Update: Deal reached to build Texas 360 toll road in Arlington, Mansfield". Honkin' Mad Blog. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 25, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  9. Google (September 23, 2013). "SH 360" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 23, 2013.

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