Interstate 35W Texas
Overview
IH 35 in Texas separates into IH 35E east to Dallas and IH 35W west to Fort Worth. The two routes diverge north of Hillsboro, through rural reaches of Hall County, and reconvene in the city of Denton.
Interstate 35W angles northwest to Grandview and Alvarado through rural areas of Johnson County before crossing the Tarrant County line at Burleson. Signed as Business Loop I-35, a business route serves Alvarado, where U.S. 67 meets IH 35W. IH 35W (South Freeway) passes west of Fort Worth Spinks Airport (FWS) through an area of retail in south Fort Worth. The freeway advances northward by a large industrial park to Interstate 20 near the town of Edgecliff Village.
IH 35W passes through central Fort Worth to Downtown, where it meets Interstate 30, U.S. 287 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway) and SH 121 (Airport Freeway). U.S. 287 combines with IH 35W north from there across the Trinity River West Fork through another industrial park area ahead of Interstate 820.
A wye interchange separates U.S. 287 from IH 35W beyond residential subdivisions along Basswood Boulevard. This split represents the northbound beginning of U.S. 81, which IH 35 and IH 35W replaced southward to Laredo. Passing by Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW), IH 35W (North Freeway) crosses the Denton County line en route to Northlake and Texas Motor Speedway. The remainder of the route west of Argyle and northward to IH 35E in Denton is mostly rural .
History
HistoryThe American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) mandated that all suffixed Interstate highways be renumbered to eliminate confusion. Similar to the I-35E and I-35W branch split in Minnesota, the reason IH 35E and IH 35W remain in Texas is that neither Dallas nor Fort Worth wanted to relinquish the routing of Interstate 35.
The South Freeway was one of the first Fort Worth area freeways built. The initial stretch was constructed starting on April 7, 1947 between Seminary Drive (Exit 46A) and Morningside Drive (north of Exit 48 A). This section opened on September 14, 1949 as a new alignment for U.S. 81. Subsequent sections of the South Freeway opened north from Morningside Drive and Rosedale Street on November 30, 1951, from Rosedale Street to IH 30 in March 1955 and between Seminary Drive and Altamesa Boulevard that same year.1
Construction on the North Freeway commenced north of IH 30 in 1958, but was delayed one year due to litigation. The stretch between IH 30 and Yucca Avenue north of the Trinity River West Fork opened in May 1962. Extensions followed northward from Yucca Avenue to 28th Street in 1963, from 28th Street to IH 820 in 1966 and from IH 820 to Texas State Highway 114 in Denton County in August 1967. The route was completed north to Denton on July 3, 1969, with the interchange at IH 35E finished on April 15, 1970.1
Route Information
North End – Denton, TX
South End – Hillsboro, TX
Mileage – 85.20
Cities – Burleson, Fort Worth
Junctions –
Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List
U.S. 81 was truncated northward from Laredo to IH 35W north of Fort Worth in 1993.
Interstate 35W between north Fort Worth and Denton was the last portion of the IH 35 branch split to open through north Texas.
Photo Guides
Photo GuidesNorth End 
– Denton, Texas
South at 
Two miles ahead of the IH 35E/35W separation, commercial development lines the west side of IH 35 and residential neighborhoods to the east. 05/10/22
Continuing south from the exchange with U.S. 380, IH 35 advances a half mile to Exit 468 for W Oak Street / FM 1515 and one mile to Exit 467 onto IH 35W. 05/10/22
IH 35W branches southwest to Northlake from IH 35 just beyond Exit 468 / FM 1515 (Oak Street). 05/10/22
A slip ramp (Exit 468) precedes the directional T interchange (Exit 467) with IH 35E/W for FM 1515 (Airport Road) and W Oak Street. 05/10/22
Interstate 35E branches southeast from Denton to Corinth, Lewisville Lake and Dallas while Interstate 35W trends westward to Argyle, Northlake and Fort Worth. 05/10/22
North at
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North End Throwback
IH 35 was expanded to six overall lanes in 2016-17 leading to the separation with IH 35E to Dallas and IH 35W to Fort Worth. Photos by Jeff Morrison (12/28/05).
South End – near Hillsboro, Texas
South at
IH 35W combines with IH 35E seven miles south of south of Itasca. 05/10/22
There is no access to IH 35E north from IH 35W south. The southbound roadway however connects with Exit 370 to U.S. 77 north and SS 579 prior to the resumption of IH 35 through Hillsboro. 05/10/22
SS 579 extends 1.48 miles southwest from the exchange (Exit 370) joining IH 35 and U.S. 77 to SH 81, the former route of U.S .81 into Hillsboro. 05/10/22
North at
IH 35E and IH 35W separate at an unnumbered three wye interchange just beyond the city of Hillsboro. 05/10/22
U.S. 77 overlaps with Interstate 35 north from Waco 36 miles to Exit 370 at Hillsboro. IH 35E/W split at the ensuing exchange. 05/10/22
IH 35 north at State Spur 579 west and U.S. 77 north at Hillsboro. Photo by Marc Welby (08/00).
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South at
While there is no access from IH 35W south to IH 35E north, a single lane ramp links IH 35E south with IH 35W north to Itasca. 05/10/22
South End Throwback
IH 35W on IH 35E converged two miles south of this button copy sign in rural Hill County. Photo by Justin Cozart (08/02).
2022 construction widens IH 35E to six lanes from the Ellis County line southwest to IH 35W. 09/28/07
Former button copy signs at the unnumbered ramp for IH 35W north toward Fort Worth. Photo by Justin Cozart (08/02).
Sources:
- Slotboom, Oscar (2014). Fort Worth Freeways. Dallas-Fort Worth Freeways, Texas-Sized Ambition, Retrieved from http://www.dfwfreeways.com.
Page updated May 20, 2022.