President George Bush Turnpike

Infobox TX State Highway
type=State
route=190
name=State Highways 161 and 190
shields=
length_mi=34 [Mapquest Driving Directions: [http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?do=nw&2n=COLLIN%20COUNTY&1y=US&r=f&2a=Preston%20Rd%20%26%20Lloyd%20Cir&mo=ma&2s=TX&1si=gaz&2c=Dallas&2si=navt&1rc=A5XAX&2da=%2d1%2e000000&2rc=I1AAA&1n=Tarrant%20County&cl=EN&2v=INTERSECTION&did=1146415850&qq=1ADqpk24ofB7eXW26wYjFoS8x9S3ZhcB9WEepRk0IaMLg4t7%252fzxEQK64LRdSzjrmXrFTSivcqcvFJk%252b6ufXsEPeAPHdNgW01DjTG4ds42gyxe7Npug7rh9ygOizDb%252bBSIViMORzeLymH4BbllvkvznPaMpwie03lho7g2TokTBia1unhvqFUCdwqmjw9qGyOo3QWuJ1BjKbKHZVWfcuWnpnnfHww0GRuXFicOJxB0tOx%252fMnCpoPZ%252f013c8MlMEUw29kp5oH2QtM%253d&2gi=0&2y=US&un=m&2z=75252&1s=TX&1c=Euless&go=1&rsres=1&1v=CITY&ct=NA&1l=iBC0qtBpCZA=&1g=9ZW1d7hH8zY=&2l=64iLFL7GYfI=&2g=Dys5M3azX1c= part 1] and [http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?go=1&do=nw&rmm=1&un=m&cl=EN&ct=NA&rsres=1&1ffi=&1l=&1g=&1pl=&1v=&1n=&2ffi=&2l=&2g=&2pl=&2v=&2n=&1pn=&1a=preston+rd+%26+lloyd+cir&1c=dallas&1s=tx&1z=&2pn=&2a=northeast+pkwy+%26+crist+rd&2c=garland&2s=tx&2z=&r=f part 2] ]
length_km=55
formed=1977TxDOT|SH|161] TxDOT|SH|190]
dir1=CCW
dir2=CW
from=
junction=
to=
previous_type=State
previous_route=160
next_type=State
next_route=162
browse=tx browse
previous_type=State
previous_route=189
next_type=State
next_route=191
The "President George Bush Turnpike"(PGBT) is a 30.5-mile (49 km) [North Texas Tollway Authority - [http://www.ntta.org/AboutUs/Roadways/PresidentGeorgeBushTurnpike.htm About Our Roadways] ] toll road running east-west through the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas, United States. At its west end near Belt Line Road in Irving, State Highway 161 (SH 161) continues southwest as a freeway to State Highway 183 near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. A further extension of SH 161 south to Interstate 20 in Grand Prairie is under construction. The discontinuous free frontage roads along the Turnpike from Interstate 35E in Carrollton east to its end at State Highway 78 in Garland are assigned the State Highway 190 (SH 190) designation. "190 TEXAS" signage appears only along the Garland, Richardson, and Plano sections of the frontage road with the undersign "frontage road only." At intersections with city streets, only the Bush Turnpike signs are displayed, not the "190 TEXAS" signage. Prior to the construction of the main lanes as a tollway, SH 190 was used as the name of the planned main lanes too. Similarly, the part west of I-35E was planned as part of SH 161. Bush Turnpike is signed as an east-west road east of I-35E and as a north-south road west (i.e., south) of I-35E, as Bush Turnpike makes a nearly 90-degree curve immediately west of its I-35E interchange.

The turnpike is named for George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, and is operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA). Currently, all maintenance is done under a Total Routine Maintenance (TRM) contract with Infrastructure Corporation of America (ICA) based in Brentwood (suburb of Nashville), Tennessee. This five year contract started in November 2006.

The turnpike passes through three Texas counties (Dallas, Collin and Denton) and six Dallas suburbs (Garland, Richardson, Plano, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Irving).

The barrier tolled plazas of the President George Bush Turnpike have high speed express lanes allowing drivers to pay a toll with an electronic transponder called a TollTag. All toll plazas on the President George Bush Turnpike are equipped for TollTags. The toll charged at each of three barrier tolls is 70 cents (with a TollTag) or $1.00 (without a TollTag) for a two-axle vehicle.

History

The corridor of SH 161 and the Turnpike was first proposed as an outer loop within Dallas County in 1957.Chris Kelley, [http://www.texasfreeway.com/Dallas/historic/freeway_planning_maps/dfw_news_article_04_28_96.shtml Construction set to start on long-planned tollway] , Dallas Morning News, April 28, 1996] The 1964 plan was the first to designate it as a freeway, [http://www.texasfreeway.com/Dallas/historic/freeway_planning_maps/freeway_planning_maps.shtml TexasFreeway - Historic Dallas / Fort Worth Freeway Planning Maps] ] and in 1969 the full loop was added to the state highway system as Loop 9. The loop would begin at Interstate 20 just east of the Tarrant County line and head north (along a corridor still planned as an extension of SH 161). From State Highway 183 it would run roughly along present SH 161, turning north on Belt Line Road and east just south of the Denton County line, crossing Interstate 35E near the present junction. Rather than cross into Denton and Tarrant Counties, the loop would stay in Dallas County, running roughly where Campbell Road is now. It would rejoin the present Turnpike alignment and head southeast to Interstate 30 west of Lake Ray Hubbard. The south part of the loop would continue in a roughly circular route to end at the junction of Interstate 20 and Spur 408, several miles east of the beginning of the loop. The short Spur 484, designated in 1970, would run from Loop 9 at Belt Line Road northeast along the present Turnpike alignment to Interstate 635.TxDOT|SL|9] [http://www.texasfreeway.com/Dallas/historic/freeway_planning_maps/dfw_1971.shtml TexasFreeway - Dallas/Fort Worth Freeway Planning Map, 1971] ] TxDOT|SS|484]

Some of the opposition to the loop came from the city of Richardson, which was already divided by the Central Expressway. In conjunction with Plano, the city acquired empty right-of-way about two miles (3 km) to the north, where the Turnpike now runs, and set the centerline of the right-of-way to the border between Richardson and Plano.

Loop 9 was cancelled in 1977, and the western and northern section was split between two new designations: State Highway 161 from Interstate 20 to State Highway 114 (at Belt Line Road) and State Highway 190 from Interstate 35E to State Highway 78. (The piece between SH 114 and IH 35E was removed from the state highway system.) Spur 484 was absorbed into SH 161 in 1979, making its northern terminus Interstate 635 (at Valley View Lane). The connection between I-635 and I-35E was added to SH 161 in 1988.

Construction on service roads began in late 1988 in north Garland and Richardson. A stack interchange was constructed in 1990 at U.S. Highway 75 in Richardson, which quickly became a white elephant as the structure remained abandoned for several years. In 1995 following a revision in federal laws, authorities agreed to shift to a toll financing scheme, providing an infusion of cash and new construction. The SH 190 designation was removed from the plans for the not-yet-constructed main lanes in 1996,, and in 1998 SH 161 was removed from the piece between Belt Line Road and I-635 (Segment V).
* Segment I (North Dallas). Extends from Campbell Road to Midway Road, and includes the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. Highway 75 (Central Expressway) interchanges. Opened in December 1998.
* Segment II (Garland/Richardson). Extends from Campbell Road to State Highway 78. Opened in 2000.
* Segment III (Carrollton). Extends from Midway Road in north Dallas to Interstate 35E. Opened July 2001.
* Segment IV ("GBT Superconnector"). Connects I-35E to the I-635 airport extension. It covers 5.2 miles and was built at the cost of $339 million. Much of the expense is because the segment is built within the Trinity River wetland and comprises many miles of bridges. Construction began in January 2003 and was completed in October 2005.
* Segment V (Irving). A 3.9-mile segment connecting the I-635 airport extension to the SH 161 freeway near Belt Line Road. It opened in December 2001. Unstable clay soil was a significant problem in this segment, requiring contractors to use concentrated liquid stabilizers and geosynthetic reinforcement"'.

Expansion

The Eastern Extension phase of the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) will extend the highway 9.9 miles southeast to Interstate 30 through the cities of Sachse and Rowlett, meeting I-30 in extreme southeast Garland. [ [http://www.ntta.org/AboutUs/Projects/PGBTEast.htm The President George Bush Turnpike: Eastern Extension] ] (This was added to the definition of SH 190 in 2006.) The NTTA received environmental clearance in 2005 and is estimating construction to begin in 2008, with completion in late 2011. The project will include a 1-mile (1.5 km) bridge spanning Lake Ray Hubbard. Costs estimates are anticipated to be $1.04 billion.

From the terminus of the Eastern Extension project, the next PGBT segment is planned to continue through Mesquite and Sunnyvale, meeting I-20 in southern Mesquite near Lawson Road. Approximately five miles south of I-20, the PGBT is planned to merge into Loop 9.

The southern segment from the confluence with Loop 9 to US 287 is planned to be included in the Trans Texas Corridor loop around Dallas/Ft. Worth. The mainlane design speed is 90 mph, and the highway is expected to be signed for a speed limit of 85 mph.

The NTTA is also planning to extend the western PGBT terminus south to Interstate 20 through the city of Grand Prairie, forming a half loop around the city of Dallas. This phase is still in the early stages and the NTTA has not released a completion date; however, construction on 161 Toll south of State Highway 183 is in progress.

Long term plans are for the turnpike to form a full outer loop around Dallas, dubbed Loop 9 (despite the cancellation of that number by TxDOT in 1977).

Exit list

Note: NTTA does not provide mile reference markers (mile posts) or exit numbers. However, reference markers are provided at 500 foot intervals along the major corridors. These markers are typically installed on the top of the concrete traffic barrier (CTB) along the PGBT corridor. The reference marker corresponds to the station of the alignment in the construction plans. The stationing for the PGBT is divided at I-35E and at Main Lane Plaza 7 near Coit Road.

References

External links

* [http://www.ntta.org/ North Texas Tollway Authority]
* [http://www.keepitmovingdallas.com/SH161/ Texas Department of Transportation - SH 161] (southern extension)
* [http://www.texasfreeway.com/Dallas/photos/190/190.shtml Texas Freeways: State Highway 190]