What? A Freeway With No Traffic?
I love old postcards, and found this one at a local antique store. I had to know: What was D-116, and why was it so devoid of traffic? My first thought was that it was an early version of Interstate 35, which runs west of Dallas, but that was quashed by the presence of the radio tower in the upper left. WFAA has been in the west end of downtown Dallas for years. Therefore, this picture must have been taken on the east side of town.
That would make it none other than Central Expressway, much-hailed as the end of traffic problems in Dallas. As you can see by the abundance of trees and the low number of buildings in the lower-part of the picture, There wasn’t much in Dallas that far north. What population was there was affluent, so they got the super highway ahead of populous south Dallas. Our forefathers thought that two lanes each way, plus a generous service road, would take care of our traffic needs for decades to come.
Apparently the freeway was clogged soon after its grand opening in 1949, and traffic hasn’t let up since. The state completed a billion-dollar widening project on Central Expressway almost ten years ago, and it’s still a mess.
The answer to the question is, “a freeway with no traffic is a closed freeway.”
More history of Central Expressway, including another view of this picture.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I *think* the overpass closest to the bottom is Knox/Henderson. It’s the only major arterial that crosses Central that doesn’t run perpendicular to the freeway.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:23 am
It’s also possible that the radio tower is the one next to Channel 4.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:38 am
It’s definitely WFAA. The letters are barely visible with a magnifying glass or on a high-res scan. And yes, that could be Knox/Henderson. It’s certainly odd seeing a few scattered houses rather than the masses of retail at that intersection.
Thanks for dropping by!