A groundbreaking ceremony for the DFW Connector. TxDOT executive director Amadeo Saenz, Jr. told the crowd the project will require 1.6 million sq yds of concrete paving.

It is expected to be the first project to fully open with managed lanes in the area.

The $1.02-billion, 8.4-mi project uses $250 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. It will affect areas around IH-635 and SH 114, 121 and 360. Construction is scheduled to be complete in 2014. As a design-build project, the project can be completed in less than five years. Plans call for an ultimate 14.4-mi, $1.6-billion project. Funds for the remaining phases have not been identified.

At the widest point along SH 114, the highway corridor will be 24-lanes wide.