One of the North Side’s knottiest stretches of highway is in for a serious makeover, as TxDOT pushes ahead with a multi-mile plan to reorganize how drivers move around Loop 410 near North Star Mall and Park North. The project would shuffle ramps and frontage roads where Loop 410 meets U.S. 281, San Pedro Avenue and McCullough Avenue, with the goal of cutting down on the constant weaving and fender benders in the area. For now it is mostly in the planning and design phase: engineers have sketched out the changes, but utility coordination and a firm construction start date are still up in the air.
One of the biggest shifts on the draft plans would scrap the current westbound Loop 410 exit to San Pedro Avenue and instead funnel that traffic toward McCullough Avenue, with the McCullough flyover shown as allowing only left turns, according to MySA. Local coverage also notes that designers want new concrete barriers and reworked lane layouts along the frontage roads next to the mall to curb the quick, risky lane changes that are now a daily sight.
What TxDOT's documents show
In TxDOT paperwork, the effort is listed under control-section-job number 0521-04-285 and stretches along I-410 from West Avenue to Broadway, with related work planned on U.S. 281 and San Pedro Avenue within those limits, according to TxDOT. Schematics in that packet outline lane reassignments, proposed collector-distributor lanes and frontage-road changes aimed at peeling off local turning traffic from through lanes, trimming conflict points and, in theory, calming the chaos.
Why engineers want the overhaul
Transportation watchers have long flagged the westbound approach where the U.S. 281 ramp pours into Loop 410 as a problem area, with drivers jockeying for position, backups building quickly and crashes piling up. Texas Highway Man describes the current layout as creating “significant weaving” that the redesign is meant to eliminate. Recent planning write ups put the preliminary price tag at about $137 million and point to a tentative mid-2026 start for some phases, according to My Neighborhood News, though officials caution that both schedule and cost will depend on utility work and final approvals.
How to follow the project and what to expect
Parts of the Loop 410 revamp are already showing movement in TxDOT’s online tracking tools, but the utility work and a locked-in construction calendar are still not finalized. For updated timelines and meeting materials, commuters can watch TxDOT. In the meantime, drivers should brace for phased traffic shifts around San Pedro and McCullough once work begins and factor in extra time when heading westbound on Loop 410 through the North Side during rush hour.
