Will construction along West 7th Street help or hurt traffic? Tell us what you think.

As construction on West 7th Street in Fort Worth nears its end, area residents have voiced their concerns over how the roadway work will impact traffic.

The estimated $8.5 million improvement project funded by the 2018 bond program started in late May 2021 and is expected to be complete by the end of November. The project includes the construction of landscaped medians and bike lanes from University Drive to Trinity River Bridge along with two new traffic signals and five upgraded signals.

The project does not add lanes to the two-lane roadway.

West 7th has been a longtime thoroughfare to and from downtown Fort Worth, and both businesses and residences have developed on either side of the street with more projects planned.

One such project is The Crescent, a mixed-use development set to feature a 200 key hotel, a 168,000 square foot office space and 167 apartment units. The Crescent is situated between West 7th Street and Camp Bowie Boulevard.

Construction work is well underway on The Crescent, and development is expected to be complete in mid-2023.

Recently the Fort Worth Zoning Commission issued a 30-day continuance over a project that would bring an additional 595 apartments to Montgomery Plaza, eliminating 90,000 square feet of existing retail such as PetSmart, Five Below, Office Depot, Dollar Tree and Michael’s.

The apartments would be split between two buildings, one with five stories and another with seven stories.

The 30-day continuance was given due to a study Montgomery Plaza residents commissioned that highlighted traffic issues.

The Star-Telegram previously reported that the West 7th corridor’s population has increased by 89% in 20 years. There are about 12,594 people who live around the West 7th Street area.

West 7th Street also feeds into Fort Worth’s Cultural District, home to several museums, Casa Manana Theatre, Will Rogers Memorial Center and Dickies Arena, which will host George Strait in concert later this year.

What do you think of the roadway work on West 7th Street? Share your thoughts here.