Texas Department of Transportation – I-635 Accelerated Bridge Construction Project

The Texas Department of Transportation faced a difficult choice in determining how to replace two rapidly deteriorating bridges on I-635 over Seagoville Road in southeast Dallas County. The bridges – which originally opened in 1969 – stand at the heart of a major convergence of I-20, I-635, and US 175; all serving the rapidly growing North Texas area. Traffic volumes compounded the challenge. The northbound and southbound I-635 main lane bridges carry about 154,000 vehicles daily, with 11 percent of those vehicles comprised of large trucks. TxDOT decided to replace the bridges using Accelerated Bridge Construction methods – techniques the department has used for many years, but never on this scale. With bridge sections built months ahead of time in an adjacent field, TxDOT assembled two entire I-635 bridges in just two weekends. Those new $9.2 million bridges now allow for greater driver safety and better address the growing traffic volumes in the Dallas area.