FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Prepare your goodbyes for "Shale Mountain," the massive gravel pile that sits along Interstate 635 in Farmers Branch.
City officials this week announced the rock and dirt mix will be used for an upcoming expansion of Interstate 35, meaning it won't be piled up along the roadway by the end of the year.
Farmers Branch officials deemed the pile "Shale Mountain," and they weren't far off. The pile sits on a 22-acre lot on the north side of I-635, between Josey Lane and Webb Chapel Road.
"It's big and bizarre," said Jeff Brady, Farmers Branch's director of communications, in a video on the city's YouTube page. "The good news: It won't be here forever."
The land is actually owned by the state, as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses it to store and stage road materials. The towering gravel pile consists of leftover materials from the 635 project through Farmers Branch and North Dallas.
While the pile might be on its way down, the area will still be a busy worksite, officials said.
TxDOT will be using the gravel for its ongoing expansion of I-35 from 635 to Denton County. The project will expand the highway from six lanes to eight lanes and add continuous frontage roads.
The $709 million project is expected to be finished by 2025.
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