I-35 Or Just 35? Or Both?
Posted by Frosty-Alternative46@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 91 comments
i had put a post here last month saying ‘What Happened On The I-35 Going East Towards Lewisville From Denton On May 10th Around 9:30PM?’ and boy did i get trolled. 😭 i didn’t know the inside joke on ‘the’ and californians and i’m NOT from california, nor did i know that you don’t put ‘the’ in front of any specific highway or interstate. i genuinely thought it’s grammatically correct but not required to put the. (i don’t put the anymore, so don’t worry.) i’ve only been living in Dallas for two years and i was overseas for many years prior to that. but anyway, when referring to any interstate is it okay to say I-35 or do you only say 35, 635, 20, etc, without saying ‘I’?
JoyfulCor313@reddit
You can say I35, I20, etc, but it’s tricky. 635, for example, is an interstate road number (I635) but as it’s a loop it doesn’t go any where inter-state.
As a native Texan I’d never say I635 even if I might say I20 or I30.
Even more complicated: 35E and 35W. Since they’re split for awhile, I’d never bother saying “I35E”.
And then there’s all the highways that aren’t interstates: 121, 183, 75, etc, and we’re definitely not going to bother learning if they’re all State Highways or some other designation, so, yeah.
Numbers. Numbers are fine. Most of the time they won’t lead you astray.
Or you could get really native and learn the names (LBJ, Airport Freeway, Central, the George Bush and the Tollway [our 2 exceptions to the “the” quirk, but also learning which tollway can be shortened to just “The Tollway” and not another name (e.g., George Bush, Sam Rayburn)], etc.
So yes. The numbers alone should keep you fairly safe.
weekend4all@reddit
Native Texan and Dallasite here. This is The way.
TheSpivack@reddit
Just here to add that interstates (even regular ones, not just loops) aren't necessarily inter-state. I-45 is entirely in TX, starting in Galveston and ending here, for example. I-17 is entirely in Arizona, etc.
skechi@reddit
I-345 is entirely within dallas
BMinsker@reddit
Three-digit interstates are loops (start with even numbers) and connectors/bypasses (start with odd numbers).
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
i didn’t realise that at all. i think some of the Interstates that i can think of that actually run across states are I-95, I-270, I-75, and of course I-35.
YaGetSkeeted0n@reddit
I-97 is the shortest signed two-digit interstate highway!
cteampoke@reddit
Intrastate 45
JoyfulCor313@reddit
Pure facts!
Sunday-Afternoon@reddit
Different parts of the country say it differently based on “local custom” dating back to the start of the Interstate Highway system starting largely in the 50s and 60s. Often this was based on how the local TV, radio and newspapers referred to the highways.
In some parts of the US, the “I” is dropped. Others the “I” is always used. Places like California are “the” plus the number only. And still and others like DFW, have named most highways which is the primary reference for some of them and simply the number for others - even the state highways. Most of the ramp signage used to only say “Stemmons Freeway” or “Central Expressway” without even a mention of a highway number.
I remember when there was no “name” for 114, 121, 161 (heck 161 was just access roads with empty land in the middle) and default to calling them by number, which seems to freak out and confuse younger or newer residents.
Back to the Interstates…. Interstate Highway numbering is interesting. North-south interstates are odd numbers with increasing values as you more east. East-west are even and increase as you go north. The 3-digit interstates are loops (starts with an even number) or spurs (starts with an odd number) off of those. Lots of interesting trivia if you research a bit.
TransportationEng@reddit
We have an exception to the loop interstate numbering rule. 635 should begin and end along 35 (parent). It was shortened early when 20 moved south and then extended to the airport. A cool artifact remains: it retains the original name in Lancaster and Dallas.
LBJ is longer than 635.
Snobolski@reddit
This is really only a So-Cal thing. And on the long running hit dramedy, The Californians.
Paradox1989@reddit
For me, just about all the major roads are the number alone 35, 635, 121, 114, 287, Loop 12 etc..
Probably my sole exceptions is George Bush. That for whatever reason is easier to say than 161... Of course i just looked at a map and never realized that 161 is not the name for the entirety of the Bush, it looks like it stops in north Irving.
Tiger_Miner_DFW@reddit
To get technical, TX 161 refers only to the access road couplet alongside George Bush, not the toll road itself. The only exception is that portion in Irving where the tollway ends and then resumes - that entire portion is 161. Same for Sam Rayburn - the designation of TX 121 is only for the access roads until the tollway ends. The actual toll lanes are just the George Bush Turnpike and the Sam Rayburn Tollway. The NTTA roads are private and don't have a number in the TX State highway system. Similarly, Dallas Parkway is the access road couplet alongside the Dallas North Tollway.
TransportationEng@reddit
The same is true for SH190 over US75 and from Preston to Midway.
hobk1ard@reddit
I say "the tollway" for DNT, but just "George Bush" or "Bush" never with a "the".
LeonardMH@reddit
Does no one else just call it PGBT? That's what I have always said.
shrek-is-real@reddit
PGBT
queenofmyrishswamps@reddit
I like to just call it the turnpike
justonemom14@reddit
I think George Bush is still new enough that we haven't quite come to a consensus. I call it PGBT to most people, but sometimes I say "the tollway", (only within my family and only because we live right next to it.)
GrumpyCrab@reddit
I have heard people call it The Bush Turnpike though
Scrappy_76@reddit
Same, that really threw me off that someone would say it like that.
cteampoke@reddit
You can really tell how old somebody is or how long somebody has been in north Texas by how they talk about highways.
Do they say "oh yeah just take 190 for the best route to the ballpark!"
They're over 35 and probably grew up in Plano/Richardson.
"I like to take 121 to the airport." Over 25 and from Collin or Denton County.
GustavusAdolphin@reddit
The real answer is, "I fucking hate going to DFW"
DowntownSalt2758@reddit
And don’t forget LBJ. Used to be called LBJ more than 635 but now 635 seems the norm.
diplion@reddit
I grew up in Dallas and lived there until 2009 and visit a few times a year. This is all accurate except I’ve never heard anyone say “the” George Bush.
FoolishConsistency17@reddit
I love saying "Take 35 East South to West".
HolyForkingBrit@reddit
We are an odd bunch, but you got all down. Lol
julianriv@reddit
If you were on I35 you were going South from Denton to Lewisville not East and you were on Stemmons. 121 is the place you go South to go West.
There was a time when you commonly heard freeways referred to by name Central, Shepps, Stemmons, LBJ, Tom Landry (or The Turnpike if you are really old) today you are fine to say I35 or whatever the number is, but never add “the” in front.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
why does I-35 have so many names? 😟 the frontage of I-35 near Swisher Road is Stemmons Freeway, then when I-35 sort of cuts through Loop 288 / Teasley, it is Monarch Highway, and then when it cuts into FM 407 towards North Lake and Argyle, it’s called Purple Hearts Trail.
julianriv@reddit
I honestly almost never hear it referred to by the Monarch or Purple Hearts Trail names, that may be more of a Denton specific thing, but always have heard it called Stemmons as an honor to Leslie Stemmons an early developer in Dallas and his son donated a large portion of the land that the freeway was originally built on.
But then that is Dallas and it comes from DFW really being a conglomeration of independent towns and cities. Drive down I35 (Stemmons) and exit Sandy Lake Road, if you go east on Sandy Lake the name of the road changes from Sandy Lake to Whitlock to Keller Springs. 3 name changes over about about a mile of one roadway.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
omg lol, that’s the same with Loop 288. under University Drive it forms a curve around Denton and once it cuts I-35 heading south it becomes Lillian B Miller Parkway, then Teasely Lane. then once it reaches the frontage of Stemmons Freeway, it becomes Swisher Road which goes through Lake Dallas and over Lewisville Toll Bridge. then from Little Elm it’s Eldorado Parkway. i was very surprised when i found out about that connectivity and how much the road name changes.
bad_at_this57@reddit
You should try to trace the belt line loop one day. It’s huge and very fractured
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
this loop reminds me of the M25 in London, United Kingdom. of course that’s longer, it is 117-miles long, but still. i traced Belt Line Road from Coppell from the intersection of Southwestern Blvd and Denton Tap Road and it led me back to Coppell. how interesting!
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
oh i’m not sure if anyone actually calls it Purple Hearts Trail. it’s just that that’s what it showed on Google Maps and Google Earth. (i like mapping out places) and i was very confused when i first found out. i didn’t know why it’s called Stemmons Freeway until you mentioned it! that makes logical sense. maybe militarily people commuted via that route of I-35 W and hence they named it Purple Hearts Trail… 🤔 (i’m just kidding.)
CreativeRiddle@reddit
Every town or city also has a name for a numbered roadway for address purposes.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
all of these names are in Denton though…
CreativeRiddle@reddit
Went to school in Denton. Can’t explain, the place has its own sphere of reality.
yojodavies@reddit
If the highway is a number, I just say the number. I don't say "the 35" or "the 75". Just 35, 75, 635, 121, etc.
If the highway has a name, I do say "the" in front of it. "The DNT" or "The PGBT".
Most of the time, when referring to it, I do call the PGBT "George Bush". For example: "Oh, did you take George Bush to the DNT?"
jjillf@reddit
No i
ParticularLack6400@reddit
The 35. (Former San Diegan)
Hoopy_Dunkalot@reddit
Stemmons
bright1111@reddit
35 goes North to South… the E isn’t the direction of the traffic flow… however, it does get a little tricky because technically the bends of the highway will show up on your cars compass as heading due West or East for brief moments
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
I-35 goes north south from Laredo Texas to Duluth Minnesota. however, to serve the DFW Metroplex, I-35 diverges into I-35 E and I-35 W. I-35 goes south east towards Dallas and I-35 W goes south west towards Fort Worth. from Waco, both of them converge into just I-35 again and run in a north-south pattern. the East and West split it literally to direct traffic to both of the cities - either to Dallas or to Fort Worth. it will always follow the pattern of south east or south west. i don’t understand why people disagree on that because it is literally geography and shown on Google Maps and Google Earth.
bright1111@reddit
If you’re coming north from Hillsboro, you will veer Northeast to go toward Dallas… once you pass Dallas and approach Denton you will begin traveling Northwest until the merge.
I was once in a friends vehicle 10 years ago and we were leaving somewhere on 35E near the medical district and we wanted to go toward Whataburger. He was new to Dallas and I am a native, but as he is driving he says “we need to go West on 35 to get to whataburger “ I said no that’s impossible, we need to go north. However as I look up at the compass on his rear view mirror, we were indeed briefly heading West. (Zoom in on your map close to Inwood and the 183 split)
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
haha, i think it’s because people rigidly think that 35 and all the other odd-numbered highways and interstates go only north-south but for the sake of DFW, there is a split so people like to either gaslight themselves into believing there’s no East or West or they just are not used to that concept. 😅 i’m also not sure if other interstates or highways have such a split in other cities.
pltkcelestial18@reddit
I've lived in DFW for 14 years and I always have said just the number for the interstates, same with the other highways, like 75, 114, 183. I say George Bush instead of 161, though I say 121 instead of Sam Rayburn. The DNT is that or The Tollway.
The one main road I've never really been quite sure what to call is Loop 12/Northwest HWY. Sometimes if I say one name, people seem confused, until I clarify with the other name.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
see this is why i think having only one standard name would make things so much simpler. maximum maybe 2. if it’s Loop 12 then it should just be Loop 12.
v4por@reddit
Most people just use the numbers or highway names (75 or Central, 635 or LBJ, etc). The only time I hear people say "The" in front of the highway name is the Tollway. It's not a big deal and most people will just assume you're not from here or just not care. But it's Reddit and people tend to be a bit pedantic. You do you.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
you’re right about the pedantic part. especially when i say I-35 E or I-35 W and they think that it’s a criminal offence to say how 35 East and 35 West split the DFW Metroplex into southEAST and southWEST. they’re way too rigid and don’t focus on the geographical context. they focus only on the rule that odd-numberes run north-south and even numbers run east-west. 🤦🏻♀️ PLEASE LOOK ON A MAP.
Nonchalantgirl@reddit
Am I the only one that calls GBush? 😬
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
G Bush sounds kind of cool. like you’re calling it ‘my g’.
bassakwardsbass@reddit
Dont say “the” ever. I’ll find myself saying “I” sometimes. I10 is always i10 but I’m not from that area so not sure what the locals do. I’ll use i35 maybe 10% of the time when referring to 35.
I’ve never used I for any of the other interstates statewide
Multi generation Texan
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
i don’t intend to say the word the. 🫡
truth-4-sale@reddit
Don't say "the 114" or "the 820".
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
i do not plan to lol!
Eltecolotl@reddit
I call it The I-who gives a fuck!
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
are you from california?
I_SmellFuckeryAfoot@reddit
the i35
FigWise5682@reddit
You’re good with just 35, 635, or 20. The “I” is only needed for interstates like I-45, but even that’s not always said!
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
It’s just Eye35.
hannahkat01@reddit
There's no "the"
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
I KNOW THAT.
New_Fig_6815@reddit
You’re an adult… put whatever you want.
GustavusAdolphin@reddit
No, there are rules
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
the best reply!
OftenCavalier@reddit
Some people just like to correct you and others jump on bandwagon (maybe for karma), and they pass on all the corrections they received in past without really knowing why they were corrected. There is a TX-35 down by the gulf. I35 will save you this occasional waste of your time. Pronunciation is another correction for some i.e. Mexia. Surprised they didn’t add Lewisville, more south than east. ;-) As 65 YO Texan, I don’t feel need to acknowledge any corrections, or correct their corrections. Usually just a grunt or chuckle.
Wheres_Jay@reddit
35 does not "go" east and west. It runs north and south with an east and west route. As a truck driver this bugs me. All interstate highways with odd numbers run north and south. Even numbers run east and west.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
you do realise that I-35 E literally is ‘E’ because it heads south EAST to Dallas and I-35 W heads south WEST to Fort Worth. for example, let’s say you’re heading to Downtown Dallas from Denton, you would catch I-35 E which heads south EAST. you’re not going north-south only. and if you’re heading to Fort Worth from Denton, then you would take I-35 W literally because it is south WEST from Denton.
cougar618@reddit
Yeah, no. The interstate system already has rules for that. Routes that split off and bypass an area gets a 2. So it should be I-235 and not I-35W. Also I-635 is not a loop. It should be I-135 IIRC. 610 is a loop though down in Houston.
It seems like everything about the DFW interstate system is some combination of tiny egos and jealousy or something.
SomethingHasGotToGiv@reddit
That’s interesting, since a lot of Texans say things like, “The Wal-Mart”.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
no way.
RiskyViziness@reddit
The 35
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
LMAO.
UncleBoody@reddit
I saw your post, and I will admit that saying THE I-35 threw me a little bit off sides but I didn’t comment. Typically I just hear 35.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
i literally had no idea back then lol! 😅
StarEIs@reddit
I think your issue was about saying “the 35” and more about how you described it.
35 splits in the DFW metroplex.
35E runs north/south closer to the Dallas side. 35W runs north/south closer to the FW side.
They meet back up in Denton.
So I think the teasing was probably more about the “35 heading east” comment, because that’s not what the E means. It’s the east branch of the highway.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
yes i understand that! 😅 but genuinely speaking, I-35 E does go south east towards Downtown Dallas, and from where i was in Denton, i was heading towards Lewisville and Plano, which was east from Denton. and then I-35 W goes towards Fort Worth - which is north west from Denton’s perspective, and I-35 W also runs north-south (i hope i’m explaining correctly) from Denton to Northlake where it sort of splits and is called Purple Hearts Trail, if you know what i mean.
ApprehensiveAnswer5@reddit
I grew up in Dallas, moved away for years, but I came back, and old habits die hard.
The only time that I put an “I” in front of any highway number, is for I-20 or I-30. (Or I-10 in SE TX)
I’m not really sure why this is. Just a regional quirk, but always grew up hearing either of those with an “I” in front.
That said, “I-30” can also just be “30”. It is also “The Turnpike” and also “RL Thornton” and the section through downtown is “The Canyon” and, still older, but newer, it’s also “Tom Landry Hwy”.
“75” is also “Central” to a lot of old timers. It’s never “I-75” or “the” 75.
If you’re really old, there is also “Old Central”, which is just a main artery at this point, that ultimately joins 45.
I-35, is just “35” in Dallas. Or “Stemmons”. Generally, if you say “35”, you mean the “main” north-south portion.
On the west side of the metro, there is E and W, but if you’re in Dallas, “35” goes north-south.
635 is always just that. I’ve never heard “the” or a letter in front of it. There are letters after it, because it’s a loop, but not before. You can also say “LBJ”.
The only highway that I ever heard, and regularly still hear, the word “highway” in front of, is 80.
And sometimes, I will hear it before 78 as well, starting out near Garland. In Dallas, it’s East Grand, and then Garland Rd.
78 is a state highway, and 80, is technically a US Route.
Frosty-Alternative46@reddit (OP)
when i first moved here, my dad and i thought that Central Expressway was Interstate 75, but then we found out that it’s not! 😅 but thank you for the insight!
DookieMcDookface@reddit
A 35
GravitationalEddie@reddit
Either/or.
Historical_Dentonian@reddit
Stemmins Freeway
belladonna_81@reddit
"I was on":
Snobolski@reddit
"the turnpike" is I-30 between Dallas and Fort Worth
belladonna_81@reddit
thats just tom Landry or 30 to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
coleisgreat@reddit
I'm gonna start saying "Im taking the 45 to Houston."
That sounds like I'm planning on finding some trouble. 🤣
AngryyFerret@reddit
you may not be from California, but you’ve only lived here two years so it’s really six of one, half a dozen of another
just go with 35. you could do i35 but it’s redundant and the “i” doesn’t make sense for other names, so just say “i was cut off by an altima with four donuts and a temp tag on 35 on my way to work.”
curiosity_2020@reddit
If it's a road that's generally viewed as a net positive, it's called by its name. If it's a road that's generally considered a net negative, it's called by its number.
SCUMDOG_MILLIONAIRE@reddit
We pretty much just stick to the numbers and don’t say THE.
We don’t say 35E or 35W either, just 35. You have to know which one based on context
ateshitanddied_@reddit
"the" isn't a "California" thing it's a SoCal thing. It's because the highway system for the US was kind of figured out, if you will, out there. "The" is a residual to a time before they were given numerals, and all had name names like "the Pacific Coast Highway". It's just a goofy language thing, but I've never heard anyone call any highway "the" followed by the number in DFW.... pretty much just "the tollway" or "the turnpike"