Cowtown鈥檚 car-centric culture may hit the brakes in the coming decades as growth-related congestion is expected to clog major traffic corridors.
Billions of dollars on road projects aim to address the rapid sprawl in once-rural parts of Tarrant, Parker, Denton and Johnson counties, officials said.
Some motorists have already ditched their vehicles, opting for public transit on commutes to avoid getting frustrated by increased traffic congestion.
Dallas resident Amon茅 Shippy, a program manager at Fort Worth-based Lockheed Martin Corp., takes the Trinity Railway Express passenger train on his way to work. He boards the train at Victory Station near the American Airlines Center and rides for an hour west. Tables and power outlets on the train enable him to focus on work during the 34-mile trip.
鈥淚 find it more relaxing to be on the passenger train,鈥� he said from the platform of the downtown T&P Station. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to deal with all the traffic. It鈥檚 a straight shot to get to downtown Fort Worth. From the train station, I usually take an Uber to get to my job.鈥�
Fort Worth reached 1 million residents this year, and North Texas is on track to add 4 million more people 鈥� including about 500,000 to the city 鈥� during the next 25 years, pushing the region鈥檚 population to 12 million.
Traffic is already strained as officials estimate nearly 500,000 workers 16 years and older drive across Fort Worth highways and thoroughfares. Commute times landed Fort Worth at No. 10 in Forbes鈥� with an average time of 26.80 minutes. Dallas had only a slightly higher average commute time of 29.70 minutes.
Traffic congestion can create a dangerous cycle that affects employment, business relocations and the local economy, said Brendon Wheeler, senior program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, a planning organization that allocates funds for transportation, air quality and other projects to 16 counties.
鈥淚t not only affects where people move. It affects where businesses move,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t affects economies.鈥�
The annual cost of North Texas congestion and traffic delays will be $36.4 billion in 2050, the council of governments estimates.
That鈥檚 why officials across the region are exploring transit solutions. Those include tolled lanes, rapid bus service in high-use corridors and a proposed .
In June, a outlining $217.3 billion in needs for North Texas road, rail and air quality improvements through 2050 was approved by the Regional Transportation Council, an independent policy group of the council of governments that has local leaders on its board. Meanwhile, Fort Worth city officials are developing a comprehensive mobility plan to prioritize road projects and align them with state and regional 2050 plans.
Being able to move a skilled workforce across the area is important in attracting companies looking to relocate to North Texas, said Richard Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro.
鈥淭ransit is front and center at that,鈥� Andreski said. 鈥淭he ability to access talent in some industries depends on being close to transit. There鈥檚 certain types of industries, tech is one, where tech workers (from other large cities) want to be around transit.鈥�
However, getting drivers to change habits could be difficult. Nearly 70% all North Texas workers drive alone to work, according to Dallas Regional Chamber research. Commuters like Shippy who use public transportation make up less than 1%.
The council of governments doesn鈥檛 have projections on the number of vehicles expected to be on the region鈥檚 roads within the next 25 years.
However, the agency鈥檚 2045 mobility study estimates that population growth will result in a 42% increase in vehicle miles traveled 鈥� a metric used by transportation planners that tracks every mile driven to measure total travel and travel pattern changes over time in a region.
Road trips across the region to other parts of the state will take longer as well, . Trips to metro areas such as Houston once took about three and a half hours from Fort Worth. Now motorists can travel for up to six hours to reach the city because of congestion, Wheeler said.
鈥淭he issue is our highway system, as we know it, not only can鈥檛 keep up but the travel along the highway system is expected to just get slower,鈥� Wheeler said. 鈥淎s the world gets smaller, somehow our travel is getting slower.鈥�
An expanding city
In far north Fort Worth, where the city has seen a rapid development of businesses and housing in the Alliance area, traffic is a top concern.
City Council member Alan Blaylock hears from motorsists almost daily about Bonds Ranch Road congestion, for example. A nearly $32 million project will new streetlights and sidewalks, bike and pedestrian lanes, and drainage upgrades.
鈥淭hat is one of my top priorities,鈥� said Blaylock, who is also a member of the Regional Transportation Council.
Congestion is most apparent in the Alliance area, where new developments include data centers, shopping centers and now a planned film production studio. Vehicles can be slow or backed up for miles, even with managed toll lanes. Western Fort Worth is also experiencing a building boom with numerous new housing developments and retail centers under construction.
In the summer, Fort Worth officials set aside about $32 million for street maintenance in the 2026 budget, but the city is short about $66.1 million. City leaders said more investment is needed. A planned bond election next year could ask voters to approve more than $40 million for bridge and street projects as part of about $517 million budgeted for streets and mobility, officials said.
The city鈥檚 Moving a Million safety and mobility plan aims to be a comprehensive guide to 2050 transportation solutions once it is completed.
The plan is key to the city鈥檚 future mobility, centered around people鈥檚 movement through vehicles, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and freight transportation, said Kelly Porter, Fort Worth鈥檚 assistant director of regional transportation planning and innovation. The plan establishes timelines to fund short-term and long-term future capital projects.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to help shape the transportation future for the city locally over the next 25 years,鈥� Porter said in a about the plan. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be integrating all kinds of things into these efforts, such as technology, land use, parks and green space, and we鈥檙e really thinking about a whole host of factors as we go forward with this long-range vision for transportation in our city.鈥�
Local road projects detailed
Fort Worth road projects will address safety and mobility.
- Among the work is a $4.7 million project to restripe about 750 feet of Miller Avenue/Oakland Boulevard from Eastland to 1st streets. Officials plan to improve bicycle safety and add countermeasures that include lane separations, new signals and curb ramps.
- Fort Worth promotes bike lanes on city streets to encourage alternative transportation. Some areas, such as the Evans Avenue corridor, have been repainted recently to keep motorists out of bicycle lanes.
- The bike lane project is expected to start next June and be completed by March 2027, according to a with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
- Vaughn Boulevard, on the city鈥檚 east side, is part of the and will be improved with new pavement, sidewalks, and water and sewer connections to improve infrastructure and mobility. The project, between Emerson and Hardeman streets, will cost more than $1.3 million as part of the 2022 bond program.
Work is scheduled to start in October and could be completed by April 2026, according to a state .
State and regional leaders are allocating billions for major expansions of highways to deal with growth and road deterioration. In 2000, about 83% of Texas roads were in acceptable condition but that percentage dropped to 77.6% in 2020, research showed.
At the intersection of three highways in southeast Fort Worth, a $2.2 billion Texas Department of Transportation will rebuild and widen 16 miles of Interstates 820 and 20 as well as U.S. Highway 287.
That Southeast Connector, which won鈥檛 be completed until 2028, is part of TxDOT鈥檚 initiative, intended to address safety and mobility at the most congested choke points in the state.
Across town, TxDOT is focusing on highway upgrades to the city鈥檚 far west side 鈥� a high-growth area where new housing and the campus will be built. 鈥� totaling $541 million 鈥� will address mobility on the I-30 and I-20 corridors between Aledo and west Fort Worth in Tarrant and Parker counties.
The North Texas Tollway Authority is also expanding highways. That agency will spend to widen about 13 miles of the Chisholm Trail Parkway, the tollway from Fort Worth to Cleburne, as growth moves southwest.
鈥淭xDOT is working with our many partners in mobility 鈥� the Regional Transportation Council, transportation staff of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and other local government entities 鈥� to address transportation needs of North Texas,鈥� said Shawna Russell Jones, the agency鈥檚 northwest Texas communications director.
Transit solutions
Weatherford resident Don Lemmons, a Navy Desert Storm veteran, and wife, Kathy, use the Trinity Railway Express when they attend sporting events in Dallas. The train is a more convenient option for them, he said.
鈥淚t beats sitting in traffic,鈥� Don Lemmons said. 鈥淚 wish there was a train from Weatherford to downtown Fort Worth.鈥�
While Lemmons may not get his wish anytime soon, more rail options are being considered for Fort Worth.
Trinity Metro transit officials are planning a into the Medical District and want an that runs from downtown to an entertainment district that has not been determined.
Transportation planners said that high-speed rail projects within the Texas Triangle 鈥� the megaregion that includes North Texas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio 鈥� would aid in moving people across the state. One such proposal would have Fort Worth connect to Austin, San Antonio and Mexico with a route that would run along Interstate 35.
Peter LeCody, president of Texas Rail Advocates, which supports rail transit systems, said if a Fort Worth to Dallas high-speed rail line is developed, other passenger trains could follow behind it on the same tracks at slightly slower speeds, similar to European rail systems.
鈥淪ometimes, I just think we don鈥檛 think outside the box on some of this,鈥� LeCody said.
Shippy, the Lockheed Martin program manager, said he would like to see more robust regional transit options, including high-speed rail and faster TRE trains between Fort Worth and Dallas. He also would like to see a rail connection to Arlington鈥檚 entertainment district.
鈥淚 wish it would come to fruition,鈥� Shippy said.
Fort Worth native Jemini Miller, 24, uses Trinity Metro鈥檚 TEXRail line to get to her housekeeping job in North Richland Hills.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a car so it makes life easier, especially for those that are less fortunate,鈥� she said.
The Regional Transportation Council鈥檚 Mobility 2050 plan focuses the bulk of funding on roads, about $97.5 billion, while rail and bus improvement projects totaled nearly $60 billion.
Stephen P. Mattingly, a civil engineering professor and director of the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, said he believes a may work better between major cities rather than within metropolitan areas since he sees it as a major competitor with air travel versus vehicular travel.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough sell for me,鈥� Mattingly told the Fort Worth Report. 鈥淚鈥檓 concerned that the high-speed rail isn鈥檛 even going to get up to high-speed rail speed. It鈥檚 going to accelerate, then it has to decelerate (in Arlington) immediately, before it even reaches its cruising speed.鈥�
Other transit options 鈥� such as vertical takeoff taxis and aerial gondolas 鈥� are in development in Fort Worth and Arlington. Fort Worth aviation officials are planning , Texas鈥� second-busiest general aviation airport.
The council of governments with Southwest Research Institute to create a technology platform to analyze transportation data to use in determining future infrastructure and transit projects.
A test of the region鈥檚 public transportation systems will come next year when North Texas hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer games in Arlington. are expected to visit the region and bring in $1.5 billion in economic impact, Mike Crum, Fort Worth director of public events, told the City Council on Sept. 23.
are planned and for repaving more than 300,000 square feet of a Texas Rangers parking lot so it can accommodate the weight of dozens of buses. That lot will serve as a main drop-off and pick-up spot for buses carrying fans on the Trinity Railway Express from the CentrePort Station near Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Shuttle buses from Fort Worth and Dallas will also supplement the train service.
Many areas are exploring driverless vehicle systems to address freight and passenger transportation needs. Arlington, for instance, recently officially ended a . The service is expected to relaunch by early 2026.
However, they can鈥檛 be the only answer as such systems add more vehicles to already stressed highways, council of governments鈥� Wheeler said.
鈥淲e need to find solutions to get people off the streets and move them around,鈥� Wheeler said. 鈥淵our already congested roads are going to get worse.鈥�
Mattingly said road infrastructure projects increase as the population grows, but multiple transit options must be considered.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to build roads, but I鈥檓 not viewing building roads as our solution,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that making additional investments in a system will have the potential to replace auto trips is what we鈥檙e really wanting to do. Some of the systems I鈥檓 just not sure will replace auto trips.鈥�
Mattingly said he would like to see more rail investments to speed up existing services.
鈥淏uilding roads is not going to solve our commuting problem.鈥�
Future road projects planned
The Texas Department of Transportation is planning major road projects for the Fort Worth area within the next decade. Among them.
- On the east side, East Lancaster Avenue, also known as State Highway 180, will be reconstructed from I-35W to I-820. TxDOT plans to award the contract in 2027.
- Millions will be spent to construct new frontage roads on U.S. Highway 81/287 in the Alliance area of far north Fort Worth. Jones said about $76 million is dedicated for 2026 with at least $230 million scheduled in 2029.
- In the Arlington area, more mainlanes will be added to I-30 from Cooper Street to the President George Bush Turnpike. TxDOT plans to name a contractor for that project in 2029.
- Jacksboro Highway/Lake Worth Boulevard, also known as State Highway 199, will be reconstructed from White Settlement Road to I-820. That contract is expected to be awarded in 2031.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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