Interstate 30 (I-30) is a major

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

in the southern states of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

in the United States. I-30 travels 366.76 miles from I-20 west of

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, northeast via

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, and

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin cities, twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2 ...

, to I-40 in

North Little Rock, Arkansas North Little Rock (often abbreviated "NLR") is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Located on the north side of the Arkansas River, it is the Twin cities, twin city of Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock. In the late nineteenth ce ...

. The highway parallels

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues ...

(US 67) except for the portion west of downtown Dallas (which was once part of I-20). Between the termini, I-30 has interchanges with I-35W, I-35E, and I-45. I-30 is known as the Tom Landry Freeway between I-35W and I-35E, within the core of the

Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States, ...

Route description

, - , TX , , , - , AR , , , - , Total , , The largest metropolitan areas that I-30 travels through include the

, the Texarkana metropolitan area, and the Little Rock metropolitan area.

Texas

The western end and zero mile point of I-30 in Texas is at its intersection with I-20 in Parker County near Aledo. It then travels near downtown Fort Worth on a new routing further south than the now removed Lancaster Elevated section of the freeway. The section of I-30 between Dallas and Fort Worth is designated the Tom Landry Highway in honor of the longtime

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

coach. This section was previously known as the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike, which preceded the Interstate System. The section from downtown Dallas to Arlington was widened to over 16 lanes in some sections by 2010. In Dallas, I-30 is known as East R.L. Thornton Freeway between downtown Dallas and the eastern suburb of

Mesquite Mesquite is a common name for some plants in the genera ''Neltuma'' and '' Strombocarpa'', which contain over 50 species of spiny, deep-rooted leguminous shrubs and small trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. Until 2022, these ge ...

. I-30 picks up the name from I-35E south at the Mixmaster interchange. The Mixmaster is scheduled to be reconstructed as part of the Horseshoe project, derived from the larger Pegasus Project. The section from downtown Dallas to State Highway Loop 12 (Loop 12, Buckner Boulevard) is eight lanes plus an

HOV A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and at least one passenger, ...

lane. This section will be reconstructed under the East Corridor project to 12 lanes by 2025–2030. From Rockwall to a point past Sulphur Springs, I-30 runs concurrent with US 67. Through the city of Greenville, I-30 is known as

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

Freeway. I-30 continues northeasterly through

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that consists of approximately 38 counties. It is roughly divided into Northeast Texas, Northeast, Southeast Texas, Sout ...

until a few miles from the

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

state line, when the route turns east toward Arkansas.

Arkansas

I-30 enters southwestern Arkansas at

Texarkana The Texarkana metropolitan statistical area (MSA), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is a two-county region anchored by the Twin cities (geographical proximity), twin cities of Texarkana, Texas (population 37,33 ...

. I-30 intersects

I-49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas state line, three ne ...

, after which it travels northeast. I-30 then passes through

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

, Prescott, Gurdon, Arkadelphia, and Malvern. At Malvern, drivers can use US 70 or US 270 to travel into historic

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

or beyond into

Ouachita National Forest The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated United States National Forest, National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma, USA. History The Ouachita National Forest is ...

. There, US 70 and US 67 join I-30 and stay with the Interstate into the Little Rock city limits. Northeast of Malvern, I-30 passes through Benton before reaching the

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

city limits. From Benton to its end at I-40, I-30 is a six-lane highway with up to 85,000 vehicles per day. As I-30 enters Little Rock,

I-430 Interstate 430 (I-430) is a Interstate Highway System, Interstate highway in Pulaski County, Arkansas, Pulaski County, Arkansas, that bypasses the cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas, North Little R ...

leaves its parent route to create a western bypass of the city. Just south of downtown, I-30 meets the western terminus of I-440 and the northern terminus of another auxiliary route in I-530. I-530 travels south to Pine Bluff. At this three-way junction of Interstates, I-30 turns due north for the final few miles of its route. Here, I-30 passes through the capitol district of Little Rock. I-30 also creates one final auxiliary route in I-630, or the Wilbur D. Mills Freeway, which splits downtown Little Rock in an east–west direction before coming to its other end at I-430 just west of downtown. After passing I-630, I-30 crosses the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

into

North Little Rock North Little Rock (often abbreviated "NLR") is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Located on the north side of the Arkansas River, it is the twin city of Little Rock. In the late nineteenth century, it was annexed by Little Ro ...

and comes to its eastern terminus, despite facing north, at I-40. At its end, I-30 is joined by US 65, US 67, and US 167. US 65 joins I-40 westbound, while US 67 and US 167 join I-40 eastbound from I-30's eastern terminus.

History

View of Interstate 30 from Reunion Tower August 2015 08

The very first fully controlled-access part of what is now I-30 was the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike, a controlled-access tollway in the

Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States, ...

. Completed by 1957, it operated as a toll road between 1957 and 1977, afterward becoming a nondescript part of I-20 and then I-30. The road, three lanes in each direction but later widened, is the only direct connection between downtown

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

and downtown

, Texas. In October 2001, the former turnpike was named the Tom Landry Highway, after the late

coach. The proposed expressway was studied as early as 1944 but was turned down by the state engineer due to the expense. However, in 1953, the state legislature created the Texas Turnpike Authority, which, in 1955, raised $58.5 million (equivalent to $ million in ) to build the project. Construction started later that year. On August 27, 1957, the highway was open to traffic, but the official opening came a week later on September 5. The turnpike's presence stimulated growth in Arlington and Grand Prairie and facilitated construction of Six Flags Over Texas. At the end of 1977, the bonds were paid off, and the freeway was handed over to the state Department of Transportation, toll collection ceased, and the tollbooths were removed in the first week of 1978. The existing US 67 route was already in heavy use in the early 1950s, at which point it was twinned from just east of Dallas to Rockwall and also a rural section near Greenville and a few miles in Hopkins County. There were still a few at-grade crossings on these two sections into the 1980s. The twinned US 67 routes were upgraded to

Interstate Highway standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway t ...

beginning in 1961, forming the R.L. Thornton Freeway. By the mid-1960s, much of I-30 was under construction outside the metroplex as well. The majority of the route was completed by 1965, but a stretch through rural areas built on a new alignment well away from US 67 between Mount Pleasant and New Boston remained unfinished. This remaining segment was finally built and opened to traffic in 1971, completing I-30. Originally, the west end of I-30 was at the current intersection of I-30 and US 80 near the border of Mesquite and Dallas. I-20 went into downtown Dallas and across the former turnpike through downtown Fort Worth and to points west. Later, I-20 took its current southerly route around Dallas and Fort Worth, and I-30 assumed the former I-20 route from US 80 to western Fort Worth, and later to the current intersection with I-20 near Aledo. I-30 was proposed to be extended along the US 67 freeway from Little Rock. However, this conflicted with the

Missouri Department of Transportation The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT, ) is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri under the guidance of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC). MoDOT ...

's plan to extend I-57, which is also planned to use US 67. In April 2016, a provision designating US 67 from North Little Rock to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, as "Future I-57" was added to the federal fiscal year 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill. The provision would also give Arkansas the ability to request any segment of the road built to Interstate Highway standards be officially added to the Interstate Highway System as I-57. If I-30 had been extended, there were plans to upgrade Arkansas Highway 226 (AR 226) to Interstate standards and designate it as I-730. This would eventually become part of US 78 in 2023. I-130 was a proposed auxiliary route of I-30 that was planned to be concurrent with I-49. Once the eastern segment of the Texarkana Loop had been upgraded to Interstate standards, I-130 was to have been signed; however, it is now part of

Future

TxDOT is currently upgrading a section of I-30 between exit 62 in

Garland, Texas Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located within Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County with portions extending into Collin County, Texas, Collin and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a ...

to exit 77 at the Rockwall- Hunt County line. The work will widen the interstate from six to eight lanes, rebuild bridges, including the bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard, and reconstruct interchanges. Full completion of the project is expected by the end of 2027.

Exit list

Business routes

I-30 formerly had two business routes, both of which were in Arkansas. There are currently no business routes of I-30.

Benton

Interstate 30 Business (I-30 Bus.) was a

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route that branches off a parent numbered highway at its beginning, continues through the central business district of a nearby city or to ...

Benton, Arkansas Benton is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States. A suburb of Little Rock, it was established in 1837. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,014, making it the 12th most populous city in Arkansa ...

. It ran from exit 116 to exit 118 on I-30 from approximately 1960 to 1975, concurrently with US 70C.

Little Rock

Interstate 30 Business (I-30 Bus.) was a

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

. The route started at exit 132 on I-30 and followed US 70B nearly its entire route. In

, the route remained concurrent with US 70 and terminated at exit 141B on I-30.

Notes

References

External links