Texas State Highway 310
State Highway 310 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Map SH 310 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
| Length | 8.3 mi[1][2] (13.4 km) | |||
| Existed | 1987–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-45 in Hutchins | |||
| North end | I-45 in Dallas | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 310 (SH 310) is an 8.3-mile (13.4 km) north–south state highway located mostly within Dallas. It is a portion of the old route of U.S. Highway 75 (US 75) along the Central Expressway, which now ends in downtown Dallas. The road, located within Hutchins and South Dallas, has been replaced as the major through route by Interstate 45 (I-45). SH 310 is known as the South Central Expressway south of its intersection with Loop 12 and the S. M. Wright Freeway north of it.
Route description
SH 310 begins and ends at I-45. It begins at I-45 in Hutchins as an arterial road named the South Central Expressway and intersects I-20 before entering Dallas. Passing through South Dallas, SH 310 has an interchange with Loop 12, taking on the name of the S. M. Wright Freeway. At the intersection with Overton Road, SH 310 becomes an expressway and promptly crosses the Trinity River. Continuing on, SH 310 has an interchange with US 175. After intersecting a couple side roads just south of Elsie Faye Heggins Street, SH 310 becomes a full fledged freeway, having an interchange with the aforementioned arterial. Continuing on, SH 310 has interchanges at Pine Street, Metropolitan Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before ending at an interchange with I-45, Cesar Chavez Boulevard, and the Good-Latimer Expressway near downtown Dallas.
SH 310 north of Loop 12 was co-named the S.M. Wright Freeway in 1995 by Governor George W. Bush after the Reverend S.M. Wright (1927-1994). Wright was a local pastor and civil rights leader from South Dallas.[3] It is still technically also referred to as the Central Expressway, as it is a former portion of that road. In practice, Dallasites refer to the current US 75 (the portion north of downtown) as Central Expressway and the decommissioned US 75 (the portion south of downtown) as the S.M. Wright Freeway.[citation needed]
The southbound Trinity River bridge is the original simple steel girder bridge from abutment to abutment while the northbound is newer and largely precast concrete - the only steel girders are the longer spans directly over the river. The southbound bridge was repainted by CEKRA for TxDOT in late 2015.[citation needed]
Through southern Dallas, I-45 (also named the Julius Schepps Freeway) has replaced SH 310 as the through route. However, as I-45 is completely elevated between downtown and the Trinity River, during freezing rain events it is virtually impassable, whereupon it is closed and traffic is diverted onto SH 310.[citation needed]
History
An earlier SH 310 was designated on February 20, 1939 from SH 29 to the Lockhart Recreation Center.[4] On September 26, 1939, SH 310 was cancelled and transferred to PR 10.[citation needed] The current SH 310 was designated on January 28, 1987, replacing part of US 75 from US 175 south to I-45.[1] On April 29, 2013, SH 310 was extended north from US 175 to I-45, replacing part of US 175, which was designated to be rerouted on a more direct route west to I-45.[citation needed] The rerouting of US 175 was opened to traffic in 2020, with I-45 south to US 175 east opening in March and the other direction in early July 2020.[5]
Future
The S.M. Wright Project is a highway project by TxDOT which seeks to bring improvements to the major highways in South Dallas. The project mainly seeks to convert the S.M. Wright Freeway into the S.M. Wright Parkway, a six-lane arterial with at-grade intersections. Phase I involved rerouting US 175 off the S.M. Wright Freeway onto a brand new extension of the C.F. Hawn Freeway which directly connects into I-45. In addition to this, improvements were made to I-45 directly north of said interchange. Phase I was completed in early June 2020. Phase II involves converting the S.M. Wright Freeway between US 175 and I-45 into an arterial. In addition to that, improvements with its interchange with I-45, Cesar Chavez Boulevard, and the Good-Latimer Expressway will be made. Phase II is scheduled for completion in fall 2023.[6]
Major intersections
The entire route is in Dallas County.
| Location | mi[1][2] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchins | 0.00 | 0.00 |  I-45 south | Southern termini of SH-310 and South Central Expressway; south end of South Central Expwy. overlap; I-45 exit 275 | |
| Hutchins–Dallas line | 0.5 | 0.80 |   I-20 east | I-20 exit 474 | |
| Dallas | 3.5 | 5.6 |   Loop 12 – DART | Cloverleaf interchange; access to Ledbetter station | |
| 5.7 | 9.2 | Lamar Street | Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 6.3 | 10.1 | Carlton Garrett Street / Lamar Street | Interchange; northbound exit only | ||
| 6.7 | 10.8 |   US 175 east (C.F. Hawn Freeway) | Interchange with signals on SH 310 | ||
| 7.3 | 11.7 | Pine Street | Interchange; to be converted to at-grade intersection | ||
| 7.7 | 12.4 | Metropolitan Avenue | Interchange; to be converted to at-grade intersection | ||
| 7.9 | 12.7 | Pennsylvania Avenue | Interchange, northbound exit and southbound entrance; to be converted to at-grade intersection | ||
| 8.1 | 13.0 | Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard | Interchange, northbound exit; to be converted to at-grade intersection | ||
| 8.3 | 13.4 | Cesar Chavez Boulevard (South Central Expressway north) | Interchange; north end of South Central Expwy. overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
   I-45 north to US 75 – Sherman | Northern terminus; I-45 exit 283B | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ a b c Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 310". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
- ^ a b Google (July 29, 2021). "Overview Map of SH 310" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "In Memory of S.M. Wright". S.M. Wright Foundation. S.M. Wright Foundation. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Minutes" (PDF). publicdocs.txdot.gov. Texas Department of Transportation. February 20, 1939. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Minutes" (PDF). publicdocs.txdot.gov. Texas Department of Transportation. April 25, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "S.M. Wright Phase II". Texas Department of Transportation. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 31, 2021.