Corridor History
The corridor’s history goes back more than 120 years. It served as an important transportation link for the region since its beginning when horse and buggy was the mode of transportation.
East Lancaster was part of the primary automobile route between Fort Worth and Dallas until the late 1950s. By that point, a trip to Dallas meant passing through about sixty intersections with traffic lights, so a new route was sought. The Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike (now Interstate 30) opened in 1957, siphoning about 17,000 cars a day off East Lancaster Avenue. That change in function for the street began a slow decline, as many restaurants, motor hotels, and other businesses dependent on the motoring public began to struggle.
Today, the street is stable and no longer in decline, but still in need of a brighter future. By project completion, Advancing East Lancaster will have a plan to increase accessibility and create opportunities for economic development.
Interurban trolley car at Main Street and Lancaster Avenue. 1920s
Amon G. Carter, left, and J. L. Lancaster, fishing. 1929
An air view of construction of Lancaster Avenue bridge with downtown Fort Worth skyline. 1938
Portion of East Lancaster Avenue improvement project. 1938
Pavement being poured on the south lane of Easter Lancaster Avenue. 1939
West Lancaster Avenue Street Improvement. 1941
East Lancaster. There are automobiles on the road and utility poles on the side of the road. 1949
Dallas-Fort Worth toll road (left) and East Lancaster Avenue (right). 1956
Section of East Lancaster Avenue slipping downhill. 1972
Fort Worth Streets: East Lancaster looking east. 1982
Businesses along East Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas. 1985
