- Dallas North Tollway
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Dallas North Tollway
Route information Length: 32 mi (51 km) Existed: 1968 – present Major junctions South end: 
I-35E in Dallas
I-635
President George Bush TurnpikeNorth end: 
US 380 near FriscoHighway system Highways in Texas
Interstate • U.S. • TX (Loops – Spurs – Rec – FM)The Dallas North Tollway (DNT or simply the Tollway) is a 32-mile (51 km) controlled-access toll road operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA), which runs from Interstate 35E near downtown Dallas, Texas (USA), to U.S. Highway 380, near Frisco, Texas.
The Dallas North Tollway was the first toll road in the United States to implement Electronic Toll Collection technology, with the introduction of the TollTag in 1989. TollTag users were originally charged five cents extra per transaction, but by 1999 the agency moved to actively encourage TollTag use by giving tag users a discount off the cash toll rate. In August 2007, the NTTA announced plans to phase out manned toll booths entirely by May 2010.[1][2] The Tollway was converted to all-electronic toll collection on December 11, 2010.[3]
Contents
History
The initial segment of the tollway ran from Interstate 35E to Interstate 635 along an old railroad corridor. The right-of-way is generally 100 feet (30 m) along this segment, one of the narrowest controlled-access roads in Texas. The segment was completed in June 1968 and toll was originally 25 cents. The tollway was later extended to Briargrove Lane in 1987, to Headquarters Drive in 1994, to S.H. 121 and Gaylord Parkway in 2004, and to US 380 in 2007. The extensions generally parallel S.H. 289, also known as Preston Road. The "DNT Extension Phase 3," which runs from State Highway 121 to U.S. Highway 380, opened in mid-2007.[4]
Current tolls vary from $0.40 to $2.15 for a car with it being more expensive closer to downtown; the lone exception is the Eldorado Pkwy. toll plaza in Frisco. The Tolltag offers a discount on these rates (tolls are $0.30 to $1.41) but requires a prepayment of $40 for up to three transponders, and after that, TollTag accounts can be reloaded at a minimum of $10. Rates increased in September 2009 and will increase every two years.[5] All toll plazas are now equipped for electronic toll collection and main lane plazas feature TollTag express lanes.
Improvements/extension
At the Tollway's southern end, near downtown, the agency has rebuilt the road around the main toll plaza and added ramps at Oak Lawn Avenue. This project, started in 2006, ended in late fall 2008. On the southern sector of the tollway, the agency plans to spend about US$43 million to add an entrance and exit at Oak Lawn and rebuild most of the tollway surface from the Interstate 35E ramps to Lemmon Avenue. The tollway authority has completely rebuilt the aging toll plaza, adding a third TollTag express lane in each direction. This work coincides with major projects by the city of Dallas to rebuild part of Oak Lawn under the tollway, and by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) to build a rail line along nearby Harry Hines Boulevard.
The North Texas Tollway Authority started work in January 2006 at seven north Dallas locations to improve ramps and add merging lanes. The project will cost US$14 million. Northbound projects included adding acceleration or auxiliary lanes between Keller Springs and Trinity Mills roads and between Alpha and Spring Valley roads. Southbound projects include adding outside lane pavement at the President George Bush Turnpike exit; between the Bush Turnpike entrance ramp and Frankford Road; between the Frankford entrance ramp and Sojourn Drive; around the Keller Springs exit at the main lane toll plaza; and between the Keller Springs toll plaza and Spring Valley. The projects will noticeably lengthen many shorter merging lanes, including one at Trinity Mills where vehicles must merge quickly after driving around a curve.
Having completed the third extension north, NTTA plans to further extend Dallas Parkway from US 380 to the Grayson County line. It is planned to be a 13.5-mile (21.7 km) extension. A two-lane county road was upgraded from US 380 to Farm to Market Road 428 in Celina and is currently open to traffic. North of FM 428, a route has not been established, but NTTA has approved hiring of a corridor manager for this project.[6]
Exit list
County Location Destinations Notes Dallas Dallas I-35E south / Harry Hines Boulevard – Downtown DallasSouthbound exit, northbound entrance Oak Lawn Avenue Southbound exit, northbound entrance Wycliff Avenue Southbound exit, northbound entrance Lemmon Avenue Northbound exit, southbound entrance Mockingbird Lane East Lovers Lane Northbound exit, southbound entrance 
Loop 12 (West Northwest Highway)Walnut Hill Lane Northbound exit, southbound entrance Royal Lane Forest Lane Northbound exit, southbound entrance Harvest Hill Road Northbound exit, southbound entrance I-635 (Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway)Alpha Road / Galleria Road Farmers Branch Spring Valley Road / Verde Valley Lane / Quorum Drive Addison Belt Line Road / Arapaho Road Keller Springs Road / Addison Airport Tunnel / Arapaho Road Collin Dallas Trinity Mills Road / Briargrove Lane Northbound exit, southbound entrance Frankford Road / Haverwood Lane Plano Parkway Northbound exit, southbound entrance President George Bush Turnpike Plano Chapel Hill Road / Park Boulevard Parker Road Windhaven Parkway Tennyson Parkway / Spring Creek Parkway Legacy Drive Headquarters Drive 
SH 121 (Sam Rayburn Tollway) / Ikea DriveFrisco Gaylord Parkway / Warren Parkway Lebanon Road Stonebrook Parkway Cotton Gin Road / Main Street 
FM 2934 (Eldorado Parkway)Panther Creek Parkway County Road 24 Northbound exit, southbound entrance US 380 – Denton, GreenvilleNorthbound exit, southbound entrance Note: NTTA does not provide mile reference markers or exit numbers. However, reference markers are provided at 500-foot (150 m) intervals along the major corridors. These markers are installed on the top of the concrete traffic barrier along the DNT corridor. The reference marker corresponds to the station of the alignment in the construction plans.
References
- ^ Lindenberger, Michael A (2007-08-15). "NTTA says goodbye to cash at toll booths". The Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/081607dnmettollway.389ef58a.html. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
- ^ "AllETC". http://www.ntta.org/AboutUs/Projects/AllETC. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
- ^ "December2010SpecialEdition". http://enews.ntta.org/DrivingForward/December2010SpecialEdition. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
- ^ Tollway Extension To Open. NTTA. 2007-09-24. http://www.ntta.org/NR/rdonlyres/AED1E69F-A1B5-4340-A9C5-DA3320F305B1/1227/DNTPhase3OpeningHandout_1up_092407.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-30
- ^ New Toll Rates. NTTA. 2007-08-16. http://www.ntta.org/NR/rdonlyres/BDC5A069-9564-4296-BA1F-167622A15138/0/Handout_TollRates_WEB_081607.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-30
- ^ The Dallas North Tollway Extension: Phase 4 (US 380 to Collin/Grayson County Line). NTTA. July 2007. http://www.ntta.org/AboutUs/Projects/DNTPhase4.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-30
External links
Categories:- Transportation in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex
- Freeways in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex
- Toll roads in Dallas, Texas
- Toll roads in Texas
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