ST8505-CS 850709GINN, INC. CONSULTING ENGINEERS
TO: Steve Goram
FROM: Kevin Peiffer
DATE: July 9, 1985
SUBJECT: Belt Line Road/635 Intersection & Overpass
A meeting was held at 10:00 a.m. on 7-2-85 at the Texas State
Highway Department District 18 Headquarters regarding the
above referenced subject. Those attending the meeting were:
Sonny Loper and Ben Palatchi with TSHDT Planning Division
Jerry Bevel -- Director of Transportation, City of Irving
Albert Rollins & Larry Stone -- Schrickel-Rollins & Assoc.
Consultants for Irving
T. R. Kennedy -- Dallas County
Kevin Peiffer -- Ginn, Inc., representing City of Coppell
The following information was ascertained at this meeting:
Two alternatives currently exist for providing more traffic
lanes at the above referenced overpass. Schrickel-Rollins is
going to study each of them and make a recommendation to the
State on which to use.
The first option is expanding the existing structure to
accommodate 6 lanes of traffic. If this option is feasible,
the City of Irving will set its Belt Line Road alignment to
match the centerline of the existing bridge. The impact this
would have on Coppell is that the existing alignment would
essentially stay in its present location.
The second option is if the existing overpass is not
expandable, then a new bridge will need to be constructed at
some future date. If this would be the case, the State would
construct at least 6 lanes and possibly consider 8 lanes. In
addition, the City of Irving would prefer shifting the center-
line of their road, as well as the overpass centerline, 10'
to the west, due to present R.O.W. conditions on the south
side of 635. The effect this would have on the City of
Coppell is that we would still be able to construct our
roadway in the existing R.0.W. to meet this new alignment,
but would only have a 4' wide parkway on the west side. At
whatever future date the property to the west should develop,
the City could acquire on the plat any additional R.O.W. they
may desire for landscape purposes. The property on the east
side along Belt Line from 635 to Hackberry Road is within the
City of Irving City Limits.
The question was raised as to whether or not the State
Highway Department would be prepared both financially and
timewise to provide an asphalt transition from the end of the
City of Coppell's 6-lane divided improvements back to the
existing 2-lane overpass. Their response was that they most
likely do not have any funds available for this. The City
has two options in this case:
16135 Preston Road · Suite 106 · Dallas, Texas 75248 · Phone 214/386-6611
1) The City could finance and construct the transitions
needed with the State R.0.W. or 2) We could force, thru the
use of traffic buttons, the center lane to merge left to the
inside lane and become one single southbound lane crossing
the bridge as it functions presently. The second option is
really the only viable solution presently, unless the
overpass was to be restriped from 2 to 4 lanes.
Other miscellaneous items mentioned in the meeting were as
follows:
A design speed of 50 mph is being used on the City of Irving
portion of Belt Line Road. This is consistent with what we
are using for the City of Coppell.
The State currently has no funds available to improve the
existing overpass at 635. No expected future date for any
improvements was specified.
The City of Irving is currently awaiting the State Highway
Department's Environmental Impact Study on this roadway
before they proceed with the final design. All indications
at the meeting led one to believe that Coppell's portion of
the Belt Line Road improvements will begin much sooner (9 mos.+)
than Irving's. Dates have not even been discussed by the
City of Irving.