The Connect September 2023
Paving the Way for Growth: I-35W Expansion Through Alliance Corridor Officially Opens
The 30-year success of AllianceTexas is a testament to many collaborative public-private partnerships.
The public-private partnership known as the North Tarrant Express (NTE) recently celebrated its most significant milestone — the completion of its third segment of I-35W, a 6.7-mile stretch from N. Tarrant Parkway to Eagle Parkway in Fort Worth three months ahead of schedule.
The project, which reconstructed main lanes, expanded frontage roads and added TEXpress Lanes, gives drivers safer, more reliable choices when traveling through Tarrant County and Fort Worth. Drivers, more importantly, also now have direct highway connectivity from the Alliance corridor to downtown Fort Worth and DFW International Airport. "From day one, Hillwood championed this project, but we knew we’d have to be patient,” said Russell Laughlin, executive vice president of strategic development and innovation at Hillwood. “We launched the 35W Coalition in 2005 to ensure the regional collaboration and advocacy needed to make this project happen. In less than two decades, from concept to completion, we’ve finished this segment and incredible project, and it only happened because of our public and private partners coming together to achieve what seemed nearly impossible.”
Segment 3C Project By The Numbers
• 55 MPH — minimum rate of travel from Alliance to Downtown Fort Worth
• $910 Million — project investment with only $15M State funded
• 6.7 Miles — of roadway expansion
Through this public-private partnership, the NTE 35W Segment 3C project was constructed at virtually no cost to the State of Texas. Top executives and regional, state and federal officials celebrated the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 20. The NTE has garnered national attention and has become a model for public-private partnerships across the U.S. Since its inception, Hillwood has made infrastructure development a cornerstone of the AllianceTexas development, convening both the private and public sectors to work together to meet the region’s exponential growth needs.
“On behalf of our Chairman Ross Perot, Jr. and President Mike Berry, I want to extend our thanks to NTE Mobility Partners, Ferrovial Construction, our federal, state, county, school district and city partners; North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), TxDOT, members of the 35W Coalition, Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition (TRTC) and the thousands of workers; and subcontractors that — in the face of challenge — got this project over the goal line,” Laughlin said. “Strong public-private partnerships, like this one, will be critical for solving future infrastructure problems, and Hillwood will continue to be the example.”
To mark the occasion, AllianceTexas MIZ customer Gatik was the first to drive on the new sections of I-35W with their autonomous box trucks along with another MIZ customer, Clevon, delivering the ribbon-cutting scissors with their autonomous robotic courier (ARC). With infrastructure like the I-35W TEXpress lanes, AllianceTexas is further expanding connectivity into the DFW metroplex and promoting advanced mobility solutions within the existing technology corridor.