In recent years, a debate over whether to maintain or decommission I-345 has received increased attention from several Dallas media outlets.

At the north end, before it merged into the Central Expressway (which continued to carry US 75), I-345 straddled the bridges over Bryan Street and Ross Avenue, the latter the location of the opening ceremonies in 1949.

[16] In April 2014, Michael Morris, the transportation director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, created controversy by suggesting that proponents of the decommissioning/removal are predominantly white, wealthy, and do not live in the area near I-345, as opposed to predominantly Black-American, working class, South Dallas residents that could be affected by the decommissioning/removal.

[19] In September 2016, TxDOT published the CityMAP Assessment Report, which included an analysis of the effects of highway removal on the I-345 corridor.

The study concluded that depressing the freeway below grade and removing frontage roads would best fall in line with the CityMAP report.

The alternative was also chosen due to the potential capping areas that were identified as being ways to link communities that were separated by I-345's construction.