Dallas–Fort Worth / Photo archive
US 75 Central Expressway
21 photographs and a location map · Dallas archive
Central Expressway has more to look at than traffic. Follow US 75 through Dallas, from the old freeway to the rebuilt trench, its cantilevered frontage roads and the columns that hold up nothing but air.
↗ EnlargeCentral Expressway in the trench, looking south toward downtown Dallas.
21 photographs and a location map · One continuous collection
Explore Central Expressway, view by view.
Scan the photographs and captions, or settle into the larger slideshow.
Explore the Dallas Central Expressway photographs
1990 and September 2000
Dallas Central Expressway, before and after
Central Expressway before and after reconstruction
5 archive photographs
Central Expressway near Walnut Hill in 1990
Looking south near Walnut Hill in 1990, a few years before reconstruction began. Image courtesy of the Houston Chronicle, used by permission.
Central Expressway toward downtown Dallas
Freeway-level view, looking south towards downtown Dallas.
Central Expressway at Yale-SMU Boulevard
Looking north from Yale-SMU Blvd.
September 2000
The details along Central Expressway
The Air Columns
2 archive photographsOne of the most distinctive features of the freeway is the pervasive presence of "air columns" - artistic columns that rise to support nothing but air. Every entrance and exit ramp is framed by air columns.
Architectural Treatments
3 archive photographsEach intersecting street at ground level generally has a distinctive architectural treatment.
September 2000
Mockingbird Lane over Central Expressway
Mockingbird Lane over central expressway.
September 2000
Lovers Lane over Central Expressway
Lovers Lane over central expressway.
September 2000
Central Expressway segment S2 plaque
Plaque commemorating the completion of segment S2 in September 1998. The final section (S1) was completed in November 1999.
May 12, 2001 · Original Part 2
Central Expressway from CityPlace to Forest Lane
Central Expressway, south to north — May 2001
5 archive photographsCentral Expressway (US 75), Part 2
Last updated May 17, 2001
Return to Central Expressway (US 75) main page. Go to Photos part 3.
Historic photos of Central Expressway
Photos start from the south end and proceed northward. Photos taken on 12-May-2001.
CityPlace: the south end
(high resolution 227k) Looking north at the beginning of Central Expressway. The CityPlace office tower rises right next to the freeway.
Knox-Henderson: cantilevered frontage road
(high resolution 205k) Looking north at the Knox-Henderson exit. Notice that the northbound feeder road is cantilevered over the main lanes.
Mockingbird: architecture at the exit
(high resolution 152k) Looking north at the Mockingbird exit. Notice architectural treatments on the exit ramp.
Original Part 3 · Day and night
Central Expressway in TxDOT photographs
Central Expressway through the TxDOT lens
6 archive photographsCentral Expressway (US 75), Part 3
Last updated July 7, 2001
Return to Central Expressway (US 75) main page or photos part 2
Historic photos of Central Expressway
Acknowledgement: This photos are courtesy of TxDOT.
Date not stated
Central Expressway north from Loop 12
Looking north from Loop 12.
Date not stated
Central Expressway at Mockingbird Street at night
A night view at the Mockingbird Street overpass.
Date not stated
Landscaping in the Central Expressway median
A view showing the landscaping the center barrier.
Date not stated
Central Expressway trench sidewall
A view showing the a typical trench sidewall and its landscaping.
From the original archive
Original Central Expressway account
US75 North, Central Expressway
More photos: Photos part 2 (12-May-2001), Photos part 3 (courtesy of TxDOT, 1.2 MB page size)
The reconstruction of US75 north was completed in November 1999. Total reconstruction cost was around $600 million. The new facility has a mininum of 8 continuous general-purpose lanes and is in a trench for six miles. Its architecturally distinctive design distinguishes it as one of the nation's most attractive urban freeways, but the real accomplishment was actually getting it built. Building a freeway in a trench on an extremely narrow right-of-way while keeping the existing freeway open was a challenging construction task. In some sections, the feeder roads are cantilevered over the main lanes because of the narrow right-of-way.
The Old Central Expressway
See historic photos of Central Expressway
Before reconstruction, US75 north of downtown Dallas was one of the most poorly designed freeways in the nation. Opened around 1950, it was Dallas' first freeway and had a lot in common with Los Angeles' first freeway, the Pasedena freeway. The freeway was narrow - six lanes and four lanes. On-ramps were nearly non-existant. Geometrics were poor. Driving on the old Central Expressway was like being on a roller coaster going up and down, up and down as the freeway passed underneath closely-spaced intersections. (Unlike the Pasedena freeway, Central Expressway was generally straight.)
Worst of all, the right-of-way was extremely narrow, around 180-200 feet for most of the corridor. The narrow right-of-way and outdated freeway design made it nearly impossible to expand it.
In the early 1980's, TxDOT floated plans to build an elevated structure above the existing freeway. After considerable study and debate, elevated structures were eliminated and it was decided to put the full length of freeway in a trench. Construction started in 1992, and was finally completed in November 1999. A new light rail long along the freeway had opened earlier in 1998.
Was it worth the wait? Well, it's definitely a nice freeway. But considering how long and how severely Dallas suffered with the old freeway, I still say it took way to long to solve the problem. Curiously, it appears that the Pasedena freeway in Los Angeles will be left in its original state into perpetuity, partially for historic purposes. I can assure you that no one in Dallas wanted to preserve Central Expressway!
All photos below taken September 2000
See new photos taken 12-May-2001, at the freeway level. Additional photos.
Photos part 2
Photos part 3 (1.2 MB page size)
