Texas State Highway 360

State Highway 360 (SH 360) is a 28-mile (45 km) north–south state highway in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in the U.S. state of Texas. It runs north from an at-grade intersection with US 287 in Mansfield, near the Ellis-Johnson county line to a partial interchange with SH 121 in Grapevine, near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The highway serves as a local north–south route running through the center of the metroplex, linking together the southern and northern suburbs to the core. Between US 287 and Camp Wisdom Road/Sublett Road, SH 360 follows a pair of frontage roads along a four-lane tollway known as the 360 Tollway, a tollway operated by the NTTA. Between Camp Wisdom Road/Sublett Road and SH 121, SH 360 follows a toll-free freeway maintained by TxDOT.

State Highway 360
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length27.997 mi[1] (45.057 km)
Existed1955–present
Major junctions
South end US 287 in Mansfield
 
North end SH 121 in Grapevine
Location
CountiesEllis, Tarrant
Highway system
← SH 359→ SH 361

The highway was opened in several stages throughout its existence. The first portion of the highway was designated on November 30, 1955 between US 80 (now SH 180) and SH 183. Newer portions of the highway were opened between 1960 and 2003. The 360 Tollway was opened in 2018, and is eventually planned to extend southward to a terminus at US 67 in Venus.

Route description

SH 360 begins as a pair of frontage roads at its southern terminus at an at-grade intersection with US 287 in Mansfield, near the Ellis-Johnson county line. North of its intersection with US 287, SH 360 expands into a pair of free two-lane frontage roads along a four-lane toll road, the 360 Tollway, which continues north for 9.7 miles (15.6 km). In southwest Grand Prairie, SH 360 becomes a toll-free freeway at an intersection with Sublett Road/Camp Wisdom Road.

Highway 360 near the intersection of Highway Spur 303

From there, the freeway proceeds north through Arlington near its boundary with Grand Prairie, where it interchanges with I-20 and then meets I-30. However, SH 360 and I-30 are not directly connected. As a legacy of the original toll road design of I-30 (formerly the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike), the highways connect only indirectly using long access roads that cross surface streets at lighted intersections.[2][3]

From I-30, SH 360 then continues north beyond Arlington, interchanging with SH 183 near Euless. From the SH 183 interchange, the freeway continues north-northwest through Euless and into Grapevine, following the western boundary of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. SH 360 terminates at its northern terminus at a partial interchange with SH 121 in Grapevine.

History

SH 360 was constructed in different stages over the course of several decades. SH 360 was designated on November 30, 1955, from SH 183 south to US 80 (now SH 180). SH 360 was extended south in various stages, first to Spur 303 on July 25, 1960, I-20 on July 30, 1965, US 287 on June 10, 1966, and US 67 on August 26, 1969. SH 360 was extended north from SH 183 to SH 121 on May 6, 1969. For the most part, each section's frontage roads were built first, handling all of the traffic years before the actual freeway portion was completed (or even begun). Similarly, the interchanges at I-20, I-30, and SH 183 were in place long before the freeway lanes were completed.

The indirect interchange between SH 360 and I-30 is a relic back from when I-30 existed as the Dallas/Fort Worth Turnpike. In order to direct traffic through toll booths, the interchange was designed so that any traffic moving from between the freeways were routed through one common, bi-directional ramp. This was done as a cost-saving measure, as it required fewer toll booths. The toll booths were removed in 1977, but the complex access road system remained.

South of SH 183, SH 360 was previously known as Watson Road.[4] The segment through Arlington is also officially designated as the "Angus G. Wynne Freeway" (after the founder of Six Flags); however, neither the official designation nor the older Watson Road name are locally used, and the road is generally called "360".

360 Tollway

360 Tollway
LocationMansfield–Grand Prairie
Length9.7 mi[5] (15.6 km)
Existed2018–present

The southernmost segment of SH 360 between US 287 in Mansfield and Camp Wisdom Road/Sublett Road in Grand Prairie was built between 1994 and 2003 as a pair of separated frontage roads, with space reserved between them for main freeway lanes to be added to meet future traffic needs.[6][7] As traffic along the corridor grew, the SH 360 frontage lanes became increasingly congested. Local and state leaders began studying the construction of SH 360 as a freeway between the existing frontage roads in a project that became known as "360 South".[6][7] On January 25, 2013, TxDOT and the NTTA approved a deal to construct the extension as a four-lane toll road, the 360 Tollway, in a public–public partnership, with TxDOT performing the design and construction and the NTTA managing the completed freeway as part of its tollway system. Construction on the tollway began in November 2015.[8][9] A ceremonial groundbreaking for construction of the 360 South toll road was held on October 21, 2015.[7] The first phase of the project, which was planned to build two grade-separated toll lanes in each direction, was estimated to cost $330 million. The tollway opened to drivers on May 11th, 2018 and became NTTA's newest toll road. [7] In the future, the toll road may be expanded to four lanes in each direction.[7] The 9.7-mile (15.6 km) toll road has two names: the portion between US 287 and the Mansfield city limit is named the Senator Chris Harris Memorial Highway after the local legislator who aided the extension, and the portion from the Mansfield city limit to Camp Wisdom/Sublett Road is named the Rosa Parks Memorial Highway in memory of the late civil rights figure.[10] The project cost a total of $340 million. Driving the entire length of the tollway costs $1.62 for TollTag users and $2.44 for nonusers, with drivers being billed via mail.[11]

Future

The interchange between SH 360 and I-30 in Arlington has become a major bottleneck, compounded by the fact that it intersects with surface streets, and is near major tourist attractions including Six Flags Over Texas, Globe Life Field, Globe Life Park & AT&T Stadium.[2] In November 2014, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced that it would be conducting an environmental study on a potential $200 million rebuild of the interchange. The rebuild would offer direct connections between SH 360 and I-30 for the first time.[2] In March 2015, TxDOT approved spending $254 million on the stack interchange project, which will also include improvements to nearby Six Flags Drive.[3] Ground broke on March 2, 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in 2020 at the cost of $233 million.[12] Additionally, the NTTA's future plans for SH 360 include a further 5.5-mile (8.9 km) extension of the toll road, which would run from the current SH 360 southern terminus in Mansfield to US 67 in Venus.[8]

Major intersections

All exits are unnumbered.

CountyLocationmi[13]kmDestinationsNotes
EllisMansfield0.00.0 US 287 – Fort Worth, Waxahachie, Midlothian, MansfieldAt-grade intersection with US 287 collector/distributor roads; opened May 11, 2018[14]
1.72.7Lone Star RoadOpened May 11, 2018[14]
Lone Star Mainlane Gantry
Tarrant2.43.9Heritage ParkwayOpened May 11, 2018[14]
2.94.7Broad Street / Holland RoadOpened May 11, 2018[14]
Grand Prairie5.08.0Debbie Lane / Ragland RoadTolled northbound exit and southbound entrance; opened May 11, 2018[14]
6.410.3New York AvenueTolled northbound exit and southbound entrance; opened May 11, 2018[14]
New York Mainlane Gantry
7.612.2Webb Lynn Road / Lynn Creek-Mildred Walker ParkwayTolled southbound exit and northbound entrance; opened May 11, 2018[14]
8.413.5Camp Wisdom Road / Sublett RoadOpened May 11, 2018; former southern terminus[14]
9.615.4Green Oaks Boulevard Southeast / Kingswood BoulevardInterchange
Arlington10.6–
10.9		17.1–
17.5		 I-20 – Fort Worth, DallasStack interchange; exit 453 on I-20
11.819.0Mayfield Road
12.720.4Arkansas Lane
13.020.9 Spur 303 (Pioneer Parkway)
14.122.7Park Row Drive
14.823.8Abram StreetNo direct southbound exit (signed at SH 180)
15.224.5 SH 180 (Division Street) / Randol Mill Road – UT ArlingtonFormer US 80
16.326.2 To I-30 / Six Flags DriveExit 30 on I-30; direct interchange with I-30 to open in 2020[12]
16.626.7Avenue H / Lamar Boulevard / Avenue JAvenue J signed at Avenue K exit southbound
Arlington–Grand Prairie line17.428.0Avenue K / Brown Boulevard / Fountain Parkway / Burney Road
Grand Prairie18.229.3Green Oaks Boulevard / Carrier Parkway / Fountain Parkway / Burney Road
18.830.3Post and Paddock Road
19.631.5Riverside Parkway
Fort Worth21.033.8 Trinity Boulevard / FAA RoadTo CentrePort/DFW Airport Station
21.835.1 Amon Carter Boulevard – D/FW Airport (International Parkway)Northbound exit and southbound entrance
22.035.4 SH 183 – Fort Worth, Dallas
22.836.7American BoulevardSouthbound exit only
Euless23.037.0Harwood Road / Midway Drive
24.0–
24.4		38.6–
39.3		Mid-Cities Boulevard
Euless–Grapevine line25.140.4Glade Road
Grapevine25.641.2Euless-Grapevine Road
27.143.6 SH 121 south / Stone Myers ParkwayNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
27.343.9 SH 114 west to FM 1709 – SouthlakeNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
27.944.9 SH 121 north / SH 114 east – D/FW Airport, Dallas
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 360". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  2. Dickson, Gordon (November 29, 2014). "I-30/Texas 360 interchange in Arlington may be rebuilt". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. Jinkins, Shirley (March 10, 2015). "State approves $254 million for I-30/Texas 360 interchange rebuild". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  4. Google (March 8, 2008). "overview map of SH 360" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
  5. "360 Tollway". North Texas Tollway Authority. North Texas Tollway Authority. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  6. "360 South Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). www.drive360south.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  7. Ciesco, Tim (October 21, 2015). "Tarrant County Leaders Break Ground on New Texas 360 Toll Lanes". www.nbcdfw.com. KXAS-TV. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  8. "Update: Deal reached to build Texas 360 toll road in Arlington, Mansfield". Honkin' Mad Blog. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 25, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  9. "360 Tollway". North Texas Tollway Authority. North Texas Tollway Authority. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  10. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2018/05/10/debut-360-tollway-makes-south-arlington-grand-prairie-mansfield-connected-ever
  11. Hanna, Bill. "A new toll road is coming to DFW. Find out when it opens and how much you'll pay". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  12. Formby, Brandon (March 2, 2016). "Hate I-30 and SH 360's alleged interchange? Get ready for a $233 million fix". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  13. Google (September 23, 2013). "SH 360" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  14. https://twitter.com/CityOfArlington/status/994976131047739393

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