Interstate 345 is the freeway connecting I-45 with U.S. Highway 75 at Spur 366 in Dallas. Few maps actually display the road as I-345; sign postson the road only show US 75. In recent years, a debate over whether to maintain or decommission I-345 has received increased attention from several Dallas media outlets.
Route description
I-345 serves as the connection between I-45 and the North Central Expressway. It starts at the intersection of I-45 and I-30, passes by downtown Dallas and connects to US 75 at the Spur 366 junction. The entire stretch of I-345 is elevated allowing for better connections between Downtown Dallas and Deep Ellum. Although I-345 uses its own mileposts, the exit numbering is not consistent. The exit numbers on the northbound stretch count upwards from the I-45 numbers, while on the southbound stretch the Spur 366 exit is numbered exit 1A, followed by the exit for Ross Avenue numbered exit 285.
History
In 1964 I-345, extending I-45 north along the proposed Central Expressway bypass, was added as a proposed state highway. I-345 was built and opened in the 1970s. At the north end, before it merged into the Central Expressway, I-345 straddled the bridges over Bryan Street and Ross Avenue, the latter the location of the opening ceremonies in 1949. Because of their location, these two bridges were not replaced in the 1990s reconstruction of the North Central Expressway, and are the only surviving grade separations from the initial construction north from downtown.
Decommissioning/removal proposal
There has recently been a growing level of local news coverage of a proposal to completely remove I-345, and decommission it from the Interstate Highway System, due to the fact that the interstate separates the Downtown Dallas and Deep Ellum neighborhoods. The proposal would demolish the elevated structure but, instead of replacing it with a below-grade structure, it would be replaced with an at-grade parkway and reconnected streets. Media outlets, including The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Observer, and D Magazine first discussed the proposal in 2012 and 2013.
In February 2014, the Texas Department of Transportation announced plans to spend $100 million to repair the existing I-345 structure, but Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings responded by saying that the decommissioning/removal alternative should be further considered before any repair. After further investigation, Rawlings concluded that repairs should proceed in advance of a study and decision on the fate of the road. In April 2014, Michael Morris, the transportation director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, created controversy by suggesting that proponents of the decommissioning/removal are predominantly white, wealthy, and do not live in the area near I-345, as opposed to predominantly African-American, working class, South Dallas residents that could be affected by the decommissioning/removal. Morris later apologized for his comments. With its May 2014 issue, D Magazine became the first major local news publication to endorse the decommissioning/removal proposal.
