The highway was first conceived in 1949 as a
beltway around
Fort Worth. It was originally designated from I-20 (now I-30) southeast, east, north, and west to I-35W. On April 18, 1963, I-820 was designated to use existing
Loop 217 from SH 121 and SH 183 to Hulen Street while the section of Loop 217 from Hulen Street to
US 377 was designated as
Loop 820. On September 1, 1965, another section of Loop 820 from I-20 north and east to I-35W was designated. This section of Loop 820 from I-20 north and east to I-35W became part of I-820 on January 21, 1969, making I-820 a full loop. The first section to open ran from McCart Avenue to US 377 at a cost of $11 million (equivalent to $ in ). On May 13, 1977, the remainder of Loop 820 became part of an extension of SH 183. The southern leg of the loop was redesignated as
I-20 on December 2, 1971, and finished construction in 1982, completing a continuous loop around Fort Worth. Despite no longer being officially designated as I-820 on the southern arc (which is officially part of I-20), it is still unofficially referred to as Loop 820 for business purposes, and the frontage roads and business addresses along the southern arc still bear the names "SW Loop 820" and "SE Loop 820". The loop is often considered the most congested road in
North Texas, with the interchanges at Rufe Snow Drive, Holiday Lane, and Denton Highway (US 377) being named the first, second, and third worst, respectively, in 2010.
North Tarrant Express The North Tarrant Express (NTE) was a construction project that was supposed to add additional lanes,
high-occupancy toll lanes, and continuous frontage roads and reconstruct the interchange with I-35W and various other interchanges between I-35W and SH 121/SH 183. This plan, however, was modified, with the additional mainlanes not being built, though the
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) plans to widen the freeway by no later than 2030. ==Exit list==