I-635, I-35E and the Dallas North Tollway rank among North Texas’ busiest commuter routes. Here’s what to know.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Dallas-Fort Worth’s exponential growth over the past two decades has transformed the region’s morning commute. Suburban communities such as Frisco and Plano are now more readily connected to major highways, and most North Texans don’t question if they will hit morning traffic, but where and when.
While congestion can happen on almost every road, a handful of the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s transportation corridors have become backup hot spots for early morning commuters. Combined with busy interchanges and high traffic volumes, these corridors carry locals from growing suburbs to major job hubs.
These are the highways commuters are most likely to experience heavy morning traffic.
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Interstate 635
Stretching across North Dallas, Interstate 635, or Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, serves as the region’s primary east-west corridor. The interstate links almost every north-south highway in the area such as Interstate 35E, U.S. Highway 75, Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 114.
Unlike other commuter routes in the region that primarily funnel traffic through downtown Dallas, I-635 carries a mix of commuters, commercial trucks and airport travelers. The combination of motorists often means congestion isn’t restricted to just rush hour.
The Texas Department of Transportation estimates I-635 carries 230,000 vehicles per day. Almost $2 billion has been invested to improve congestion on the interstate. After more than six years of construction, which also affects congestion, I-635 is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
“According to traffic counts collected by TxDOT, the roads with highest volumes of traffic are I-35E and I-635 in Dallas,” said Francisco Torres, principal transportation system modeler at the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
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Related: Interstate 635 construction in Dallas is almost done. What to know
Interstate 35E
One of the busiest north-south transportation corridors, Interstate 35E connects motorists from Denton County to downtown Dallas. The interstate serves cities with increasing populations along its route such as Denton, Lewisville, Carrollton and Farmer’s Branch.
It also provides access to Dallas Love Field Airport, the Design District and Medical District.
I-35E is one of the state’s major commercial trucking routes, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. With both commuters and freight vehicles traveling simultaneously, recurring bottlenecks happen around certain entry and exit ramps.
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The combination of motorists merging onto the interstate from I-635, State Highway 183 and Loop 12 makes stop-and-go traffic a frequent occurrence, according to TxDOT.
Dallas North Tollway
As the residential and commercial developments in Frisco, Plano and surrounding cities have increased, the Dallas North Tollway has become one of the busiest toll corridors in the region.
The tollway connects suburban communities and employment centers such as The Star in Frisco, Toyota’s North American Headquarters and Legacy West. Uptown Dallas is also directly connected to the tollway.
“Over the last 12 years or so, we have seen a steady increase of traffic driving northbound from Dallas to Addison and Collin County,” said Michael Rey, media relations manager for the North Texas Toll Authority. “Post-pandemic, we saw ‘rush-hour’ extended patterns later into the day.”
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Interchanges with State Highway 121, President George Bush Turnpike and I-635 are particularly busy on the tollway. Peak periods during morning and afternoon rush hours have become more common, but Rey said NTTA is making efforts to reduce congestion.
NTTA is extending the tollway to help connect even more residents and is expected to finish in late 2027. A widening project added lanes to the tollway in Frisco, which opened in August 2025.
“The improvements to widen the DNT to eight lanes [helped] meet population growth and mobility demands,” according to the city of Frisco website.