From Pioneer Paths to Superhighways - The Texas Highway Department Blazes Texas Trails 1917-1968

Photos from A Proposal Presented to the State Highway Commission of the State of Texas by the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, September 25, 1952

These photographs are presented with their original captions.

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These two photographs illustrate the contrasting appearance of the same area where one photograph was taken prior to the construction of the Central Expressway in Dallas, and the second photograph was taken after the roadway was constructed. Both photographs were taken from a point near the intersection of Munger Avenue and the T&NO Railroad. The before photograph above was taken in 1947, the after photograph was taken in 1949.

This photograph shows the Central Expressway Project which was constructed in Dallas under the supervision of the State Highway Department of Texas. It is illustrative of the type of roadway which must be planned and constructed in order to handle the traffic needs of our great metropolitan areas in Texas.

[Note: Considered a marvel of engineering and design upon its opening, Central Expressway was completed in 1956. By the mid-1960s, the roadway was the site of rush-hour traffic jams that assumed legendary proportions. It was completely reconstructed in the 1990s.]

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Photos from A Proposal Presented to the State Highway Commission of the State of Texas by the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, September 25, 1952. Dallas County project files, Texas Highway Department Records, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.