I-35 splits when it reaches Denton, Texas into I-35E (which passes through Corinth, Lewisville, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Dallas, Desoto, Lancaster and Waxahachie) and I-35W (which passes through Northlake, Fort Worth, Burleson and Alvarado). The two branches rejoin outside of Texas, which is 30 miles north of Texas.

The portion of 35E that passes through west Dallas is commonly refered to by its pre-Interstate system name, the Stemmons Freeway. In Dallas, Stemmons intersects with I-30 and several downtown arteries in a concrete cat's cradle called "The Mixmaster."