Many Dallas-Fort Worth residents are used to sitting in traffic. Yet on a few Dallas roads in particular, North Texas drivers are spending more time than usual — and time is money.
A “historic amount” of recent Texas Department of Transportation projects have helped address long waits, with traffic delays down 7% across the state, according to a study by the Texas Transportation Institute. That includes Dallas’ Southern Gateway project on Interstate 35E in 2023, which TxDOT says reduced delays by 60%.
“Major transportation investments across Texas, like those in the Texas Clear Lanes initiative and the hundreds of other projects across the state, are easing that burden and helping commuters save time and fuel as traffic levels rebound,” TTI senior research scientist David Schrank said in a release.
But congestion persists in Texas’ largest regions as the state’s population balloons. Based on TTI’s research, here is a look at the most congested roadways in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Woodall Rodgers Freeway
A 1.4-mile stretch of Woodall Rodgers Freeway from U.S. Highway 75 to North Beckley Avenue topped Dallas County’s list of backups, and was second in Texas overall in the 2024 report, which ranks congestion for 2023. That’s on par with the last two years, when the roadway ranked second and third, respectively.
In total, drivers experienced over 1.3 million hours of delay per mile on the road for the year. That amounts to over $47 million in annual congestion costs, which the study’s authors define as the cost of wasted time and fuel associated with congestion.
Interstate 30
A 3.9-mile section of Interstate 30, also known as the E.R.L. Thornton Freeway, is the fourth most congested road in the state. Motorists saw more than 896,000 hours of delay per mile from the Jefferson Viaduct to East Grand Avenue, costing more than $96 million.
Another 4.4-mile section of the interstate — from East Grande Avenue to Buckner Boulevard — ranked 17th, accounting for more than 520,000 delay hours and $57 million in costs.
TxDOT is considering a portion of I-30 4.4 miles east from downtown Dallas to Ferguson Road for reconstruction and widening, touching the South Dallas, Fair Park and Deep Ellum neighborhoods. Still in the planning phase, the project would expand the roadway to 10 general-purpose lanes and two depressed, reversible managed lanes.
Many of Texas’ most congested roads were under construction in 2023 as part of Texas Clear Lanes, an initiative started by Gov. Greg Abbott to reduce congestion in the state’s most populated areas.
U.S. Highway 75
Two sections of U.S. Highway 75 rank eighth and ninth among the most congested.
Drivers of a 5-mile stretch from Northwest Highway to Woodall Rodgers Freeway, and a 4-mile section from Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway to Northwest Highway, experienced some significant gridlock this year. The first roadway saw nearly 790,000 hours of delay per mile costing Texans about $102 million, while the second accounted for more than 754,000 hours of delay and $77 million in excess costs.
A third, 6.5-mile section of the highway from the President George Bush Turnpike to Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway ranked 24th in the state, with more than 400,000 hours in delays and $69 million in costs. That’s an increase in gridlock from the previous two years, when it ranked 29th and 41st.
Interstate 35E
The nearly 5.5-mile section of Interstate 35E from State Highway 183 to Tom Landry Freeway ranks eleventh in the state for congestion. Motorists on this busy road experienced nearly 700,000 miles in annual delay per mile, and more than $102 million in congestion costs. The thoroughfare has gotten slightly busier than the previous two years, when it came in 12th.
Interstate 635
An 8-mile stretch of Interstate 635, also known as Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, has also seen jump in congestion over the past two years, ranking 13th this year compared to 14th in the 2023 report, and 17th in 2022. Drivers saw more than 600,000 hours of delay per mile and more than $124 million in congestion costs on the road between Stemmons Freeway and U.S. 75.
Interstate 345
A 2.3-mile section of Interstate 345 from U.S. 75 to S.M. Wright Freeway was the 19th most congested in Texas this year, down sharply from 13th last year and 7th in 2022. That roadway accounted for nearly 480,000 hours of delay and $29 million in congestion costs in 2024.
An estimated $1.65 billion reconstruction project for I-345 is in initial planning, though it will be a decade before drivers travel on the rebuilt highway.
State Highway 183
A 2.6-mile section of State Highway 183 (between State Highways 360 and 161) ranked 31st in the state. Motorists on this stretch of Dallas highway saw nearly 360,000 hours of delays accounting for $24 million in congestion costs. The roadway has gotten busier, up from its 42nd ranking in the 2023 report and 91st ranking in 2022.
