Nine Crashes a Month on I-35W Through Northlake — and the First Fix Doesn't Start Until September 2028

If you drive I-35W north from Flower Mound or Argyle regularly, you already know that particular alertness that kicks in when you merge onto a road that doesn't forgive inattention. The data backs you up.

An average of nine crashes per month occurred on this corridor between January 2024 and June 2026. Roughly one every three days. As North Texas keeps growing, the pace is increasing — this past May alone, there were 12.

TxDOT is the only agency with the authority and budget to fix the underlying problem. A frontage road widening project is scheduled to begin in September 2028. A separate frontage road creation project has no start date yet. For the next two-plus years, the road stays as it is.

Northlake Mayor Brian Montini said the projects were supposed to be done years ago, delayed when funding never came through. He has been passing TxDOT timelines along to his residents and watching those dates move. "I've had residents tell me in my face, 'You're not doing your job,'" Montini said. His description of the pace: delivering on I-35W projects is "like moving a glacier."

TxDOT spokesperson Tila Grant said project timelines shift based on "funding availability, project development milestones, environmental review, and coordination with local stakeholders." The agency describes the corridor as "a critical transportation route in North Texas" and says the planned improvements are meant to handle current and future traffic demands.

Denton County has workarounds in motion, though none touch the interstate itself. TxDOT has a planned widening of FM 407 that would stretch between Bill Cook Road, just outside Justin, and FM 1830 outside Lantana — a project aimed partly at relieving the rush-hour backups that build on I-35W itself when traffic stacks at the FM 407 exit. Until the larger projects are underway, the county can mainly offer relief on surrounding roads.

For Flower Mound and Argyle commuters, the practical reality is this: the crash rate is a documented baseline, not a projection, and no construction that changes the geometry of I-35W itself begins before late 2028 at the earliest. Leave extra time. Give more space than feels necessary. If this corridor affects your daily drive, Flower Mound and Argyle council meetings are the right place to put it on the record. TxDOT project updates are at txdot.gov.