The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has started construction on an expansion of Interstate 30 east of Dallas. The $334 million project in Rockwall will expand the highway over part of Lake Ray Hubbard and into the City of Rockwall.
This corridor will run from Dalrock Road to State Highway 205 and connects to an expansion under construction now from Dalrock to Bass Pro on the western edge of the lake.
The project will add a fourth lane in each direction and continuous frontage roads. District Engineer Ceason Clemens says the frontage roads will give people another option to cross the lake if there is a crash or icy roads.
"The frontage roads provide that reliever route, where today, that reliever route doesn't exist so you're waiting until that incident gets cleared," she says.
TxDOT is funding the project through Texas Clear Lanes, an effort to reduce congestion in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio.
"We're not just building for today, we're building for future incredible growth Texas is seeing," Clemens says.
The U.S. Census estimates the Texas population grew by 470,708 last year, the largest increase in the country. From 2010 to 2022, the Census says more than nine million people moved here.
Rockwall County is the sixth fastest growing county in the country and grew by 5.7% last year to 123,208. Neighboring Kaufman County ranked second in growth last year, growing 8.9% to 172,366.
"We're very excited [about the expansion of I-30]," says City of Rockwall Mayor Kevin Fowler. "We know it's going to come with some growing pains, but we have a further vision of what this construction's going to do for us."
Fowler says the expansion will help commuters east of Lake Ray Hubbard reach Dallas more quickly but also let cargo pass through easily. He says the additional lanes will also make it easier for people coming from other parts of North Texas to reach Rockwall and experience his city.
"From our house, we walk to the downtown square," he says. "There's probably eight, nine or ten restaurants we can eat at without ever having to leave our community."
Construction on the entire corridor is expected to continue through 2027.
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