Work in Grapevine/Live in Dallas = Doable? (extended stay, apartments)

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by RonnieinDallas

35 to 114 doesn't take an hour in rush hour. Maybe coming from grapevine, but not a reverse commute. DT Dallas & DT Grapevine are 23 miles apart. DT Fort Worth is 22 miles from DT Grapevine in worse traffic IMO.

Coming TO Grapevine in the mornings isn't a reverse commute. See Willsson's post. Traffic out of Dallas isn't so bad, but once you hit Belt Line, it gets really heavy going into Grapevine. I see this every day! I'm sailing southbound on 121 at 65 MPH, and the backup heading northbound at the 360 interchange is solid and about a mile long!

[hal2814]

Originally Posted by RonnieinDallas

35 to 114 doesn't take an hour in rush hour. Maybe coming from grapevine, but not a reverse commute. DT Dallas & DT Grapevine are 23 miles apart. DT Fort Worth is 22 miles from DT Grapevine in worse traffic IMO.

What? Downtown Grapevine to downtown Ft Worth is comparatively a breeze. Just take 121 to Westpark (using the Harwood exit) to 10 to 121 to downtown. 121 backs up around I35W but otherwise it's a pretty smooth sailing. It's about 30 minutes to Belknap even in rush hour. 10 isn't controlled access but it's 55MPH almost the entire way, the Bell plant ensures you'll catch mostly green lights, and you never have to get on 183 or I820.

The problem with the Village Apts specifically it that it's at Loop 12 and 75. There's no way out of there that doesn't involve a lot of pain. You options are to cut down Loop 12 and deal with the low speed limits (sometimes as low as 35MPH) and lights, go down 75 to 183 and come back up, or take 75 north to 635 and deal with all the construction (that includes the area around the Galleria and the mess in Grapevine where I635 meets 121). A good friend of mine made a similar commute back when he was in law school last year from Grapevine to SMU. It was 45 minutes in non rush hour and an hour in rush hour. (FWIW, he took the 183 option.) It may only be 22 miles apart but it's a nasty 22 miles even moving opposite of the traffic.

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Coming TO Grapevine in the mornings isn't a reverse commute. See Willsson's post. Traffic out of Dallas isn't so bad, but once you hit Belt Line, it gets really heavy going into Grapevine. I see this every day! I'm sailing southbound on 121 at 65 MPH, and the backup heading northbound at the 360 interchange is solid and about a mile long!

You hit belt line on 114 and the right lane and the exit back up but the left lane keeps moving. It gets bad when 114 and 121 merge. By then your in Grapevine.

[KarlF]

As others have indicated, the real challenge in reaching Grapevine is going to be your living location and lack of easily accessible highways nearby. I live in the uptown area, fairly close to I35 and Oak Lawn, and regularly commute to the Alliance area. With quick access to I35 I can make it in 45 minute, an hour if rush hour or accidents are in play. The trick is to leave before about 7:15, otherwise the part of 114 where it drops to 2 lanes really clogs up.

I would suggest moving somewhere like Oak Lawn, Uptown, or the Medical District if you want to stay in the popular young urban areas. There are plenty of people who live in Grapevine itself and enjoy it. Las Colinas is an option to.

You could even try something like Bishop Arts. You can take Beckley to the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and access 35 that way, or the new apartments being built further down Davis and take Hampton to Inwood to I35. I am not sure what those particular commute times would be like, but its an option I have not seen expressed (perhaps for a good reason).

The commute from from Grapevine to DT Dallas can get a little rough. Usually traffic begins to pile up around the 183/I35 merge. By the time it gets to around the Medical District/Oak Lawn exit, it can be really frustrating. I usually end up exiting to Mockingbird before that mess. It may or may not save time, but it seems less frustrating. The one piece of advice I always give people moving down here is: Avoid commuting on 635 whenever possible. With all the construction going on, any commute that threatens to push you onto 635 needs very serious considerations on cost/benefit.

[ritholtz]

Originally Posted by KarlF

The one piece of advice I always give people moving down here is: Avoid commuting on 635 whenever possible. With all the construction going on, any commute that threatens to push you onto 635 needs very serious considerations on cost/benefit.

Not only 635, I am noticing crazy traffic jam on south bound turnpike near 114 during evening hours. At the same time, there is not much traffic near signal on service road (161). Not sure what is going on there?

[Pak6669]

Thanks for all the replies. I have no idea what to do. I just want to be in an area where there is stuff going on and I can be active--workout, run. Hate to think of being stuck in the wrong apartment complex and bored! But I agree, a 40 min to hour drive is not something I want either!

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Pak6669

Thanks for all the replies. I have no idea what to do. I just want to be in an area where there is stuff going on and I can be active--workout, run. Hate to think of being stuck in the wrong apartment complex and bored! But I agree, a 40 min to hour drive is not something I want either!

As you've concluded Village Apts to Grapevine is not a viable commute for most folks. You simply should not do it - that commute would eat roughly two hours per day out of your life.

Look around Grapevine first, it's a really cool town.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by EDS_

As you've concluded Village Apts to Grapevine is not a viable commute for most folks. You simply should not do it - that commute would eat roughly two hours per day out of your life.

Look around Grapevine first, it's really cool town.

For someone his age? Eh...not sure.

Addison might be a doable compromise, though the commute still wouldn't be short by any means.

[pharpe]

I live just east of the Village (I pass it on the way) and drive to DFW every week.

In the morning I take NW Hwy to 114 to the DFW north entry. Grapevine is just one exit further. If I leave before 6:30 AM I can make it in 25 minutes. If I leave later (7-8 AM) it takes about 40 minutes.

Coming home if I leave the airport by 3:30 PM it's about 30 minutes home. Leaving around 5 PM takes about 50 minutes.

Bottom line if you are able/willing to go in early and leave early than your commute should be less than 35 minutes. If you are going in the teeth of rush hour than it's going to be 45-50 minutes in the morning and an hour home.

[Willsson]

Maybe the thing to do is to get a weekly rental, give the route a try, get the lay of the land then decide on an apartment. If you're bringing a Haul-A with stuff you might be able to get a month of free storage.