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<\/p>\nCowtown\u2019s car-centric culture may hit the brakes in the coming decades as growth-related congestion is expected to clog major traffic corridors.<\/p>\n
Billions of dollars on road projects aim to address the rapid sprawl in once-rural parts of Tarrant, Parker, Denton and Johnson counties, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some motorists have already ditched their vehicles, opting for public transit on commutes to avoid getting frustrated by increased traffic congestion.<\/p>\n
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This is part of the Report\u2019s special 1 Million & Counting growth series, which will be published on Mondays into October. The reporting will lead to a growth summit Oct. 23 at the downtown Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus.<\/p>\n
Dallas resident Amon\u00e9 Shippy, a program manager at Fort Worth-based Lockheed Martin Corp., takes the Trinity Railway Express passenger train on his way to work. He boards the train at Victory Station near the American Airlines Center and rides for an hour west. Tables and power outlets on the train enable him to focus on work during the 34-mile trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it more relaxing to be on the passenger train,\u201d he said from the platform of the downtown T&P Station. \u201cI don\u2019t have to deal with all the traffic. It\u2019s a straight shot to get to downtown Fort Worth. From the train station, I usually take an Uber to get to my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fort Worth reached 1 million residents this year, and projections show<\/a> North Texas is on track to add 4 million more people \u2014 including about 500,000 to the city \u2014 during the next 25 years, pushing the region\u2019s population to 12 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n Traffic is already strained as officials estimate nearly 500,000 workers 16 years and older drive across Fort Worth highways and thoroughfares. Commute times landed Fort Worth at No. 10 in Forbes\u2019 \u00a0\u201cHardest Commutes in the U.S.\u201d study<\/a> with an average time of 26.80 minutes. Dallas had only a slightly higher average commute time of 29.70 minutes.<\/p>\n Traffic congestion can create a dangerous cycle that affects employment, business relocations and the local economy, said Brendon Wheeler, senior program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, a planning organization that allocates funds for transportation, air quality and other projects to 16 counties.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt not only affects where people move. It affects where businesses move,\u201d he said. \u201cIt affects economies.\u201d<\/p>\n The annual cost of North Texas congestion and traffic delays will be $36.4 billion in 2050, the council of governments estimates.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why officials across the region are exploring transit solutions. Those include tolled lanes, rapid bus service in high-use corridors and a proposed high-speed rail line that includes Fort Worth and Arlington<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In June, a long-range regional transportation plan<\/a> outlining $217.3 billion in needs for North Texas road, rail and air quality improvements through 2050 was approved by the Regional Transportation Council, an independent policy group of the council of governments that has local leaders on its board. Meanwhile, Fort Worth city officials are developing a Moving a Million<\/a> comprehensive mobility plan to prioritize road projects and align them with state and regional 2050 plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Being able to move a skilled workforce across the area is important in attracting companies looking to relocate to North Texas, said Richard Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTransit is front and center at that,\u201d Andreski said. \u201cThe ability to access talent in some industries depends on being close to transit. There\u2019s certain types of industries, tech is one, where tech workers (from other large cities) want to be around transit.\u201d<\/p>\n However, getting drivers to change habits could be difficult. Nearly 70% all North Texas workers drive alone to work, according to Dallas Regional Chamber research. Commuters like Shippy who use public transportation make up less than 1%.<\/p>\n The council of governments doesn\u2019t have projections on the number of vehicles expected to be on the region\u2019s roads within the next 25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the agency\u2019s 2045 mobility study estimates that population growth will result in a 42% increase in vehicle miles traveled \u2014 a metric used by transportation planners that tracks every mile driven to measure total travel and travel pattern changes over time in a region.<\/p>\n Road trips across the region to other parts of the state will take longer as well, Wheeler has noted<\/a>. Trips to metro areas such as Houston once took about three and a half hours from Fort Worth. Now motorists can travel for up to six hours to reach the city because of congestion, Wheeler said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue is our highway system, as we know it, not only can\u2019t keep up but the travel along the highway system is expected to just get slower,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cAs the world gets smaller, somehow our travel is getting slower.\u201d<\/p>\n An expanding city<\/p>\n In far north Fort Worth, where the city has seen a rapid development of businesses and housing\u00a0 in the Alliance area, traffic is a top concern.<\/p>\n City Council member Alan Blaylock hears from motorsists almost daily about Bonds Ranch Road congestion, for example. A nearly $32 million project will widen the road as well as provide other improvements, such as <\/a>new streetlights and sidewalks, bike and pedestrian lanes, and drainage upgrades.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is one of my top priorities,\u201d said Blaylock, who is also a member of the Regional Transportation Council.<\/p>\n Congestion is most apparent in the Alliance area, where new developments include data centers, shopping centers and now a planned film production studio. Vehicles can be slow or backed up for miles, even with managed toll lanes. Western Fort Worth is also experiencing a building boom with numerous new housing developments and retail centers under construction.<\/p>\n In the summer, Fort Worth officials set aside about $32 million for street maintenance in the 2026 budget, but the city is short about $66.1 million. City leaders said more investment is needed. A planned bond election next year could ask voters to approve more than $40 million for bridge and street projects as part of about $517 million budgeted for streets and mobility, officials said.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s Moving a Million safety and mobility plan aims to be a comprehensive guide to 2050 transportation solutions once it is completed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The plan is key to the city\u2019s future mobility, centered around people\u2019s movement through vehicles, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and freight transportation, said Kelly Porter, Fort Worth\u2019s assistant director of regional transportation planning and innovation. The plan establishes timelines to fund short-term and long-term future capital projects.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to help shape the transportation future for the city locally over the next 25 years,\u201d Porter said in a promotional video<\/a> about the plan. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be integrating all kinds of things into these efforts, such as technology, land use, parks and green space, and we\u2019re really thinking about a whole host of factors as we go forward with this long-range vision for transportation in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n Local road projects detailed<\/p>\n Fort Worth road projects will address safety and mobility.\u00a0<\/p>\n Work is scheduled to start in October and could be completed by April 2026, according to a state filing<\/a>.<\/p>\n State and regional leaders are allocating billions for major expansions of highways to deal with growth and road deterioration. In 2000, about 83% of Texas roads were in acceptable condition but that percentage dropped to 77.6% in 2020, TruckInfo.net<\/a> research showed.<\/p>\n At the intersection of three highways in southeast Fort Worth, a $2.2 billion Texas Department of Transportation project<\/a> will rebuild and widen 16 miles of Interstates 820 and 20 as well as U.S. Highway 287.<\/p>\n That Southeast Connector, which won\u2019t be completed until 2028, is part of TxDOT\u2019s Texas Clear Lanes<\/a> initiative, intended to address safety and mobility at the most congested choke points in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n Across town, TxDOT is focusing on highway upgrades to the city\u2019s far west side \u2014 a high-growth area where new housing and the UTA West<\/a> campus will be built. Three infrastructure projects<\/a> \u2014 totaling $541 million \u2014 will address mobility on the I-30 and I-20 corridors between Aledo and west Fort Worth in Tarrant and Parker counties.\u00a0<\/p>\n The North Texas Tollway Authority is also expanding highways. That agency will spend $250 million<\/a> to widen about 13 miles of the Chisholm Trail Parkway, the tollway from Fort Worth to Cleburne, as growth moves southwest.<\/p>\n \u201cTxDOT is working with our many partners in mobility \u2014 the Regional Transportation Council, transportation staff of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and other local government entities \u2014 to address transportation needs of North Texas,\u201d said Shawna Russell Jones, the agency\u2019s northwest Texas communications director.<\/p>\n Transit solutions<\/p>\n Weatherford resident Don Lemmons, a Navy Desert Storm veteran, and wife, Kathy, use the Trinity Railway Express when they attend sporting events in Dallas. The train is a more convenient option for them, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt beats sitting in traffic,\u201d Don Lemmons said. \u201cI wish there was a train from Weatherford to downtown Fort Worth.\u201d<\/p>\n While Lemmons may not get his wish anytime soon, more rail options are being considered for Fort Worth.<\/p>\n Trinity Metro transit officials are planning a TEXRail train extension<\/a> into the Medical District and want an urban rail system<\/a> that runs from downtown to an entertainment district that has not been determined.<\/p>\n Transportation planners said that high-speed rail projects within the Texas Triangle \u2014 the megaregion that includes North Texas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio \u2014 would aid in moving people across the state. One such proposal would have Fort Worth connect to Austin, San Antonio and Mexico with a route that would run along Interstate 35.<\/p>\n Peter LeCody, president of Texas Rail Advocates, which supports rail transit systems, said if a Fort Worth to Dallas high-speed rail line is developed, other passenger trains could follow behind it on the same tracks at slightly slower speeds, similar to European rail systems.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, I just think we don\u2019t think outside the box on some of this,\u201d LeCody said.<\/p>\n Shippy, the Lockheed Martin program manager, said he would like to see more robust regional transit options, including high-speed rail and faster TRE trains between Fort Worth and Dallas. He also would like to see a rail connection to Arlington\u2019s entertainment district.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish it would come to fruition,\u201d Shippy said.<\/p>\n Fort Worth native Jemini Miller, 24, uses Trinity Metro\u2019s TEXRail line to get to her housekeeping job in North Richland Hills.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have a car so it makes life easier, especially for those that are less fortunate,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Regional Transportation Council\u2019s Mobility 2050 plan focuses the bulk of funding on roads, about $97.5 billion, while rail and bus improvement projects totaled nearly $60 billion.<\/p>\n Stephen P. Mattingly, a civil engineering professor and director of the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, said he believes a high-speed rail system<\/a> may work better between major cities rather than within metropolitan areas since he sees it as a major competitor with air travel versus vehicular travel.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a tough sell for me,\u201d Mattingly told the Fort Worth Report. \u201cI\u2019m concerned that the high-speed rail isn\u2019t even going to get up to high-speed rail speed. It\u2019s going to accelerate, then it has to decelerate (in Arlington) immediately, before it even reaches its cruising speed.\u201d<\/p>\n Other transit options \u2014 such as vertical takeoff taxis and aerial gondolas<\/a> \u2014 are in development in Fort Worth and Arlington. Fort Worth aviation officials are planning upgrades at Meacham International Airport<\/a>, Texas\u2019 second-busiest general aviation airport.<\/p>\n The council of governments plans to partner<\/a> with Southwest Research Institute to create a technology platform to analyze transportation data to use in determining future infrastructure and transit projects.<\/p>\n A test of the region\u2019s public transportation systems will come next year when North Texas hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer games in Arlington. More than 100,000 daily visitors<\/a> are expected to visit the region and bring in $1.5 billion in economic impact, Mike Crum, Fort Worth director of public events, told the City Council on Sept. 23.<\/p>\n TRE equipment upgrades<\/a> are planned and $4 million is allocated<\/a> for repaving more than 300,000 square feet of a Texas Rangers parking lot so it can accommodate the weight of dozens of buses. That lot will serve as a main drop-off and pick-up spot for buses carrying fans on the Trinity Railway Express from the CentrePort Station near Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Shuttle buses from Fort Worth and Dallas will also supplement the train service.<\/p>\n Many areas are exploring driverless vehicle systems to address freight and passenger transportation needs. Arlington, for instance, recently officially ended a pilot self-driving rideshare program<\/a>. The service is expected to relaunch by early 2026.<\/p>\n However, they can\u2019t be the only answer as such systems add more vehicles to already stressed highways, council of governments\u2019 Wheeler said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to find solutions to get people off the streets and move them around,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cYour already congested roads are going to get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n Mattingly said road infrastructure projects increase as the population grows, but multiple transit options must be considered.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to build roads, but I\u2019m not viewing building roads as our solution,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that making additional investments in a system will have the potential to replace auto trips is what we\u2019re really wanting to do. Some of the systems I\u2019m just not sure will replace auto trips.\u201d<\/p>\n Mattingly said he would like to see more rail investments to speed up existing services.<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding roads is not going to solve our commuting problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Future road projects planned<\/p>\n The Texas Department of Transportation is planning major road projects for the Fort Worth area within the next decade. Among them.<\/p>\n Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0916-Transportation-08-.jpg\")
Cars pass on Interstate 30 during rush hour traffic in Fort Worth on Sept. 16, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Goss-BondRanchRoad-05.jpg\")
Cars drive on West Bonds Ranch Road on June 20, 2025, in Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n\n
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Passengers walk around the platform July 21, 2025, at the Trinity Metro Central Station in downtown Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0721-NTTATollRoads-02.jpg\")
Vehicles travel on Chisholm Trail Parkway in Fort Worth July 21, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n\n
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