Construction Extends Commute for Dallas Drivers

(DALLAS) — Heavy road construction has increased long commutes in the Dallas Metroplex this Fall.

Traffic was already on the rise as people resumed going to work and moving to the area as the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease. The combination of people returning to work and construction on the freeway have resulted in extremely long commute times.

According to D Magazine, Dallas is listed as 10th  in places with heavy traffic. Data from the Dallas Chamber show that there are a million workers in Dallas County that commute. The data displays that 90% of people in Dallas County commute to work with a car, and the average commute time is 29.6 minutes. 

According to NBC DFW, the major cities in the Dallas area primarily affected are Arlington and Irving. There is also construction in areas surrounding the University of Texas at Arlington.

Many people who live in the Dallas Metroplex already have a long commute made longer with the recent road closures. According to Texas Clear Lanes, the highways that have partial lane closures are the I-30, I-35, and I-635. 

The Texas Clear Lanes site concludes that construction for the I-30 was planned to be done in summer 2021. Highway I-30 is scheduled to be completed in winter 2021, and I-65 will not be completed until 2024.

Due to the heavy traffic, people such as Tay Plummer have decided not to drive and take public transportation instead. Plummer who commutes from downtown Dallas has lived in the area for nine years and is accustomed to heavy traffic.

 “One of the reasons I decided not to drive in Dallas is because of the traffic and long commute times. However, the recent road closures also affect the buses, so I also experience delays,” she said. 

Plummer may be one of many in the future who take public transportation to avoid traffic. A study from the Office of National Statistics in the United Kingdom concluded that long commute times can result in anxiety and depression in individuals.

Individuals should plan their commutes ahead of time because recent data from Texas Clear Lanes suggest that the traffic will only increase. They conclude that the population in the Dallas area will continue to grow.