Transportation in Dallas facts for kids
Dallas, Texas, is a big city in the USA. It has many ways for people to get around. This article will tell you all about how people travel in and around Dallas, from walking paths to huge airports!
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Walking and Bicycling in Dallas
Dallas is becoming more friendly for people who like to walk. It's the 30th most walkable big city in the USA. The best places for walking are usually near downtown and Uptown. For a long time, Dallas was built mostly for cars. But now, new projects are being made for walkers, bikers, and people using public transportation too.
Fun Trails for Walking and Biking
Dallas is building and improving many walking trails. A very popular one is the Katy Trail. It was built on an old railway line. This trail goes through areas like Victory Park, Uptown, and Oak Lawn.
Other trails include paths along the Trinity River. There's also the Texas Buckeye Trail in the Great Trinity Forest in south Dallas. The city also has walking trails in parks, like those around White Rock Lake and Bachman Lake.
For bikers, Dallas has about 800 miles of bike routes. These are on quieter roads that run next to bigger streets. The city doesn't use special bike lanes on main roads. This is because the roads aren't set up for them yet.
Dallas also has underground tunnels for walkers in downtown. Some people worry these tunnels make the streets above ground feel less lively.
Dallas Street System
Dallas doesn't have one simple street layout. Instead, different parts of the city have different street patterns. This can make it confusing for visitors!
Different Street Patterns
In the center of Dallas, many streets are angled differently. They don't run straight north, south, east, or west. This pattern is mostly found in east Dallas, Oak Lawn, and parts of downtown.
Another smaller street pattern is in downtown. It's also slightly off the main north-south-east-west direction. The area of Oak Cliff has a more typical north-south-east-west grid. Most of Dallas, built after the mid-1900s, also uses this standard grid.
City planners have made wide roads by connecting smaller streets. This sometimes means roads change names or exist in a few different places. Also, many major roads in Oak Cliff don't cross the Trinity River. If they do, their names often change on the other side. This can be confusing too!
Major Highways in Dallas
Dallas is a major hub for many big highways. Interstates 20, 30, 35E, and 45 all pass through the city.
The "Wagon Wheel" System
Dallas's highway system is like a wagon wheel. The center is the downtown freeway loop. This loop includes Interstate 30, Interstate 35E, Spur 366, and Interstate 345. Interstate 345 is a short road connecting Interstate 45 to US 75.
The next big loop is Interstate 635 and 20. The farthest loop is the President George Bush Turnpike, which you have to pay to use. Other roads like Loop 12 are also part of this system.
Highways that spread out from downtown, like the spokes of a wheel, include Interstates 30, 35E, and 45. Also, US 75, US 175, and the Dallas North Tollway are spokes.
Special Lanes and Road Conditions
Some parts of Interstates 30, 35E, 635, and US 75 have special HOV lanes. These are for cars with multiple people. Future plans for highways often include these HOV lanes or HOT (tolled) lanes. For example, Interstate 635 is being expanded with these types of lanes. This part of the highway is very busy because it goes through a crowded area.
The highways in Dallas are generally new and in good shape. The TxDOT is known for its excellent highway system. The North Central Expressway (US 75) is a great example. It was rebuilt in the 1990s with nice landscaping. Other highways like Interstate 30 and 35E are also being improved. Because so many people drive in Dallas, road construction is always happening.
Public Transportation in Dallas
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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is the main public transportation system in Dallas. It offers both bus and train services.
DART Light Rail System
DART started its light rail system in 1996. It was the first of its kind in the Southwest United States. The system is still growing!
Currently, there are four light rail lines:
- The Red Line goes through Oak Cliff, downtown, Uptown, North Dallas, Richardson, and Plano.
- The Blue Line serves South Dallas, downtown, Uptown, North Dallas, Garland, and Rowlett.
- The Green Line travels through southeast Dallas, Fair Park, Baylor University Medical Center, downtown, Victory, west of Dallas Love Field, Farmers Branch, and ends in Carrollton.
- The Orange Line follows the Red Line from North Plano through downtown. Then it follows the Green Line to Bachman Station. From there, it goes west to Las Colinas and ends at DFW Airport.
All these train lines connect in downtown Dallas. The Red, Orange, and Blue Lines also connect to Cityplace/Uptown Station. This is the only subway station in the Southwest!
Other Rail Services
The M-Line Trolley is a historic streetcar. It runs between Cityplace/Uptown station in Uptown and St Paul station in Downtown.
DART has been expanding its Orange line, making the light rail system about 93 miles long. There are plans to make the DART light rail network even bigger, over 150 miles! They also plan to expand the Dallas Streetcar and the elevated Las Colinas APT System.
The DART Light Rail system was the only one in Texas until Houston opened its system in 2004. Dallas also connects to Fort Worth's public transit system. This connection is made by the Trinity Railway Express, a commuter train. It links Union Station in downtown Dallas with T&P Station in downtown Fort Worth.
The light rail system has helped downtown Dallas grow. More people are moving to live there. Even though the system is popular, many parts of the Dallas area are still not covered by DART. People in those areas still rely on cars.
DART uses Google Maps to provide transit information. There are also other services that help riders get information using their phones.
Intercity Bus Services
Many bus companies offer rides from Dallas to other cities.
- Greyhound Lines is one of the biggest.
- Megabus has low-cost, double-decker buses to major cities in Texas and Arkansas.
- Shofur also offers services to major cities in Texas.
- El Expreso Bus Company, Tornado Bus Company, Turimex Internacional, Omnibus Express, and Los Paisanos Autobuses all have stations in Dallas. They offer rides to various places.
For private rides, AtoB Transfer offers shuttle services from the airport. Longhorn Charter Bus offers private bus rentals in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Dallas Union Station Train Service
Amtrak is a national train service. Its Texas Eagle train stops at the Dallas Union Station. This train goes east to Chicago, Illinois. It goes west to San Antonio. Passengers can even continue to Los Angeles on another train called the Sunset Limited. Dallas Union Station is also where you can transfer to the DART Light Rail and the Trinity Railway Express commuter train.
Airports Serving Dallas
Dallas has two main airports for commercial flights: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW International) and Dallas Love Field.
Other Airports in the Area
- Dallas Executive Airport (formerly Redbird Airport) is for general aviation (smaller planes). It's inside Dallas city limits.
- Addison Airport is another general aviation airport just outside Dallas in Addison.
- Denton Municipal Airport is about 40 miles northwest of Dallas in Denton.
- There are also general aviation airports in McKinney and Fort Worth.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
DFW International Airport is located between downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas. It's a huge airport!
- It's the largest airport in Texas.
- It's the second largest in the United States.
- It's the third largest in the world by size.
- DFW is the busiest airport in Texas for traffic.
- It's the third busiest in the United States and sixth busiest in the world for traffic.
DFW is the main base for American Airlines. This airline handles most of the passenger flights at DFW. In 2006, Air Cargo World named DFW "The Best Cargo Airport in the World" for its cargo services.
Dallas Love Field
Love Field is located within Dallas city limits, about 6 miles northwest of downtown. It's the headquarters for Southwest Airlines.
For many years, a law called the "Wright Amendment" limited flights from Love Field. Large jet flights could only go to certain nearby states. But this law was completely removed in 2014. Now, Love Field can have flights to any city in America!
