New Plans To Deal With Dangerous Dallas Intersection

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A dangerous intersection in Dallas, where three major streets meet, could see some changes down the road.

The City of Dallas and the Texas Department of Transportation released new renderings Monday of the location where Garland Road, Grand Avenue and Gaston Avenue meet near White Rock Lake.

"I actually just try to avoid it," said Jaime Eichler, who lives in the area.

As it stands, the design funnels fast-moving traffic into the same lanes at the same time and forces drivers to quickly merge.

"How could this intersection work? Whose idea was this?" said Philip Kingston, a Dallas City Council member who represents District 14, referring to the emails that he receives.

Kingston said that the area has exploded with retail and residential growth. He feels as though it is time for the intersection to catch up. "You sort of have had to been through it two or three times to understand how it works," said Kingston.

One rendering that TxDOT and the City of Dallas are considering is designed to ease traffic into the area in a more organized fashion. "Something does have to be done," said John McBride, who owns The Lot restaurant.

McBride likes the look of the road remodel, but hopes that access to his business remains intact. "You've seen the traffic counts continue to go up," said McBride. "So you're just adding more cars on more cars, which is a good problem to have, but they just have to direct them a little easier."

Kingston said that a good portion of the funding would come from TxDOT. The rest would likely be approved by council through a bond. A decision could be made in February.

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