City, county and state leaders celebrated the groundbreaking Wednesday of the $233 million Interstate 30/State Highway 360 Interchange Project in Arlington.

The interchange, designed to reduce traffic congestion on both high-volume highways and improve safety for the traveling public, is the largest Proposition 1 funded project in the state.

"This is a game-changer project that is going to help dreams come true. That is the dreams of people wanting to live here, wanting to work here and for businesses as they move forward. This is going to help the productivity of North Texas," Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said.

The existing interchange, which hasn't been renovated since it opened to traffic in 1957, is long overdue for a makeover.

Once the project is complete, drivers will no longer have to rely on the outdated and inefficient cloverleaf ramps - a remaining relic from when I-30 was the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike - to get from one highway to the other. The modern interchange will connect both directions of I-30 with both directions of SH 360, allowing motorists to move seamlessly between the highways instead of exiting onto local streets with traffic lights and stop signs.

"The loop ramps were designed so that all directions of traffic would pass one toll booth for collection. The toll booth is gone but the loop ramps remain as a legacy as that design," said Brian Barth, TXDOT Fort Worth District Engineer. "Our $233 million I-30/360 project will remove that outdated design and build a new direct-connect interchange, modernizing the crossroads of the Metroplex."

The massive project is focused on I-30 between Ballpark Way and Great Southwest Parkway and on SH 360 between Brown Boulevard/Ave K and Road to Six Flags Drive.

Besides several intersection improvements, the project also includes reconstruction and widening of the Six Flags Drive bridge over I-30 from two lanes to five lanes (three southbound lanes and two northbound lanes). This bridge will improve access to Six Flags Over Texas and the greater commercial area by extending Six Flags Drive north to Avenue H.

"We have put up with traffic jams at Interstate 30 and 360 for decades and now we have the opportunity to have a great interchange with free-flowing turns to go right onto the freeways," Williams said. "What that means is improved mobility and an increase to our quality of life because we are not going to be sitting in the car so long."

Removing the cloverleaf ramps will also open up hundreds of acres for new development opportunities in The American Dream City, Williams added.

In November 2014, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1, which directs a portion of oil and gas tax revenues into the State Highway Fund. This allocation of $1.74 billion coupled with other funding sources will allow roughly $2 billion worth of projects to get underway in an effort to address roadway congestion, safety and the growing demands on our infrastructure.

One year ago, the Texas Transportation Commission approved the largest allocation of Proposition 1 funds to the interchange project - after much public involvement and recommendation by the North Central Texas Council of Governments' Regional Transportation Council and Texas Department of Transportation.

"The region came together and said 'Look, we feel like this is the highest priority in all of North Texas,'" Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said. "[This project was about] folks working together and not just trying to grab what they viewed to be theirs but to work as a community and truly try to plan for all of the North Texas area and not just their little segment of it."

The project, being built by Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. of Houston, is set to be complete by 2020. Motorists can stay updated on planned lane closures through a variety of platforms, including email alerts, Facebook and Twitter and the Keep30360Moving webpage.

Except during major events in Arlington's Entertainment District, lane closures will be allowed Monday through Saturday during off-peak hours (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.) and all-day Sunday. The HOV/Managed Lane will be closed during construction between President George Bush Turnpike and Ballpark Way.

Improvements

Direct Connect ramps between I-30 and SH 360

Interstate 30

Reconstruct main lanes with the addition of auxiliary lanes between Cooper Street and SH 161

Construction of eastbound and westbound collector-distributor/frontage roads between Ballpark Way and Six Flags Drive.

State Highway 360

Reconstruct main lanes, local access ramps and frontage roads

One lane added in each direction between Brown Boulevard/Ave K and Road to Six Flags

Construct sidewalks and shared-use bicycle accommodations on frontage roads

Intersection Improvements

Brown Boulevard/Ave K, Lamar Boulevard/Ave H, Six Flags Drive and Ballpark Way