Best route to drive around DFW metro

[isisdave]

Hello all

We're planning to drive a pickup and trailer from Indiana to El Paso soon. It's my first long-distance trailer drive.

Most of the Interstates on that route are rural and not a challenge, but I want to avoid the Dallas-FtWorth metro area.

What's the best way to do that, based on your actual recent experience?

On paper, US380/281 looks possible. What about the network of smaller highways south of DFW?

Thanks in advance.

 

[RunningBum]

The thing is, US 380 doesn't look like a freeway so you could have a lot of stop and go traffic with lights.

South of DFW, I've gone through Tyler, Corsicana and Waco east of I-35 and it was ok, and west is probably less crowded, but I bet you're going quite a bit out of your way, and on roads like that you could get stuck behind a school bus for miles.

Try for yourself with Google Maps. On a PC/laptop it's easy to drag your route a different way and see the effect in time.

How about I-64/I-44/I-40 to US 54 in New Mexico? You swap the Metroplex and Little Rock for St Louis, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City. Google says it's only 13 minutes longer. Assume you're starting from Evansville.

Another nice thing about using Google or some other map program is that they will reroute you if there's an accident or construction slowing things down and there's a good alternative.

In DFW for example, the route they give is I-30 straight thru the middle but you could easily take I-635south to I-20, or some north loop for just a few minutes more. I used to take that south loop to I-35 south and it was pretty easy, way better than going straight thru the city.

Actually that's the route I'd recommend unless someone with more current knowledge tells you that I-20 south of DFW is no good anymore. Just try to miss rush hour(s).

Likewise in Little Rock it might be best to take I-440 to get from 40 to 30. I think that's what I usually did. And you're missing Memphis, so that's good. Anything (bad) can happen, but you're actually skirting the cities with those bypasses so it really looks pretty good to me, assuming you're ok with interstate speeds with the trailer.

 

[MC Rider]

Couple times I drove across Texas the 2 lane roads away from the big cities were pretty good. Minimal traffic. I mostly used them, until it started to snow and I worried about getting stuck in BFE.

 

[thod]

I live in Allen, just north of Dallas. I would avoid US-380 between I75 (Mckinney) and I35 (Denton). It has alot of traffic and some annoying red lights now. That area is where all the growth seems to be right now and the roads are a little behind.

I would suggest taking US-82 between Sherman and Gainsville near the Oklahoma border. It has few lights and is a very pretty drive. From there you can take I 35 south to I 20 or you could continue west to Wichita Falls and head south after that.

I would avoid going south of Dallas on I 35 to go west eventually. That stretch between Dallas and Austin is really growing now and it might not be so easy depending on the time of day. You do not need to get to I-10 directly, I-20 will be a more diagonal route that meets I-10 in west Texas.

Whatever you do I would not take a trailer on I-635 east from US75 to get to I-20. That stretch is/has been under construction for awhile now and has narrow, shifting lanes in both directions and would be quite a white-knuckle ride for you.

 

[dixonge]

380 to 281 is fine. It will definitely slow you down with traffic lights, but you will likely avoid any major traffic jams.

Alternatively you could get off of I-30 at 635, go south to I-20, then scoot across the southern edge of DFW. Much less likely to have major traffic issues, and a lot of it will still seem fairly rural. It is slower than I-30 in perfect traffic conditions, but faster in typical daytime traffic.

(or you may want to defer to thod's construction update - I haven't been on that stretch in a long time)

 

[Surewhitey]

Dallas here. I would agree with not going 380. Great quality road, but lots of slowdowns in towns like Denton.

If you are coming in from Arkansas (do take 440 around Little Rock), I'd take 30 to 635 south to 20 west & rely on Google maps when getting close. Probably no slowdowns if not in rush hour traffic. I plan my trips around the actual time expected to arrive in big cities and it usually works.

I20 west of Ft Worth is a breeze...

 

[RunningBum]

I looked at the Texas DOT site for construction and there's none going on from I-30 south to I-20 via 635. https://drivetexas.org/#/11/32.7175/-96.8317?future=false
North of I-30 on 635 there is a lot of construction to US 75 but if you approach Dallas from I-30 you won't hit that.

 

[Cobra9777]

...I would agree with not going 380. Great quality road, but lots of slowdowns in towns like Denton...

There's a Loop 288 around the north side of Denton, which would avoid most of the slow-downs.

But yes, the 25-mile stretch from McKinney to Denton can definitely get busy due to all the suburban developments. But there are still plenty of wide open areas with no stop lights. It's a really nice, 4-lane divided highway. Just plan to hit it in between school start/stop and you'll be fine.

Lots of options to get down to I-20 west of Denton...

1. I-35W to Loop 820 (fastest route, but might be a little hairy during rush hour)
2. FM 51 south from Decatur (beautiful rural drive, 2-lane highway, good quality)
3. US 281 south from Jacksboro (4-lane divided in some places, nice road)

 

[isisdave]

This is great! Some more info available now: looks like this will happen Saturday March 5 mid-day, weather permitting, and I'll be starting from Brashear.

On maps, I-635 from 30 to 20 looks intimidating, being fairly within the "grey" metro area, and that makes for about a 40-mile route on freeways around southeast metro area. One poster said a lot of that looks rural, though.

Since I'm starting in Brashear, what about 19 south to 80 (or even all the way to I-20 if 80 is not advised), then I-20 around the south of DFW?

Would 380 from Greenville to Denton be painful on a Saturday? At least no school busses. Looking at the satellite view, this looks much less urban than I-20 south of DFW.

Thanks again, this is so helpful.

 

[REWahoo]

Don't overthink your route, there is no need to try to find non-interstate highways to avoid DFW.

On maps, I-635 from 30 to 20 looks intimidating, being fairly within the "grey" metro area, and that makes for about a 40-mile route on freeways around southeast metro area. One poster said a lot of that looks rural, though.

The poster's description is accurate - or it was the last time we were there. I20 the southern part of DFW is relatively lightly developed as Google Street Views should confirm. Been a couple of years but I've pulled a 5th wheel trailer on that route several times during weekends without traffic issues. Assuming decent weather, mid-day on a Saturday should be a piece of cake.

Stay on I-20, keep heading west and you'll be in El Paso in 10 to 12 hours.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Don't overthink your route, there is no need to try to find non-interstate highways to avoid DFW.



The poster's description is accurate - or it was the last time we were there. I20 the southern part of DFW is relatively lightly developed as Google Street Views should confirm. Been a couple of years but I've pulled a 5th wheel trailer on that route several times during weekends without traffic issues. Assuming decent weather, mid-day on a Saturday should be a piece of cake.

Stay on I-20, keep heading west and you'll be in El Paso in 10 to 12 hours.

+1 on I-20. We have taken that route many times and it's generally a decent ride and trailer friendly.

I would add that most state DOTs do a decent job of updating projects on Twitter and can be real time...very helpful in avoiding construction times/back ups.

 

[isisdave]

OK, I guess we'll go with that. It's certainly the simplest.

 

[REWahoo]

OK, I guess we'll go with that. It's certainly the simplest.

Please follow-up after you arrive in El Paso and let us know if we gave you good advice.

 

[Telly]

If you are coming in from Arkansas (do take 440 around Little Rock), I'd take 30 to 635 south to 20 west & rely on Google maps when getting close. Probably no slowdowns if not in rush hour traffic. I plan my trips around the actual time expected to arrive in big cities and it usually works.

I20 west of Ft Worth is a breeze...

Another DFW'er here... I agree!

We always took the I-440 bypass around Little Rock on our many trips back to the midwest. So much better than going through Little Rock. Made Little Rock a non-event. Good for long-distance travelers.

Coming into Texas on I-30, switching to I-635 (LBJ Freeway) southbound, then after a bit getting in the proper lanes to continue on westbound I-20 is the way I would do it too. We also use this route when heading down to central TX, rather than going through downtown or near downtown Dallas. I would rather add a few miles to a trip than head right through a major city and all the stress of constant lane-switchers and constant on and off traffic, not to mention any sudden unexpected "braking tests"

 

[BuysToys]

This is great! Some more info available now: looks like this will happen Saturday March 5 mid-day, weather permitting, and I'll be starting from Brashear.

On maps, I-635 from 30 to 20 looks intimidating, being fairly within the "grey" metro area, and that makes for about a 40-mile route on freeways around southeast metro area. One poster said a lot of that looks rural, though.

Since I'm starting in Brashear, what about 19 south to 80 (or even all the way to I-20 if 80 is not advised), then I-20 around the south of DFW?

Would 380 from Greenville to Denton be painful on a Saturday? At least no school busses. Looking at the satellite view, this looks much less urban than I-20 south of DFW.

Thanks again, this is so helpful.

It looks intimidating, but it's a fairly easy drive. You could also take State Highway 34 south to I20. There are some traffic lights and one long stretch of 55 MPH road, but it's a fairly easy drive.

 

[Surewhitey]

Saturday is definitely a plus. 80 is perfectly fine to get to 635S. Just drove it last Saturday going to Forney.

Most traffic is leaving town on Saturday and then returning on Sunday evening.

 

[isisdave]

Well, I'd do it differently next time. Or avoid DFW altogether.

Proceeding westward from our start in Brashear, traffic got thick quickly. It was pretty much what I was trying to avoid, multiple lanes of semis for at least 30 miles before 635.

The transition from 30 to 635 is an immense construction site. Rerouted lanes, narrow lanes, K-rail everywhere, poor and late signage. Just what I was trying to avoid.

635 was pretty much solid trucks, but fortunately it's short.

I-20 was better -- much less truck traffic, but still very busy until past the western loop road - 820 I think?

It was Saturday noon; I can't imagine what this is like on a weekday commute time. It had rained earlier, but the road was nearly dry. By this day I had four days of trailer-towing on freeway under my belt, the F250 handled the trailer perfectly, and of course I have over 40 years experience on CA freeway driving, so it wasn't as scary as it might have been.

There really isn't a southern crossing alternative to I-20, so maybe next time I'll try the northern route.