Under construction since February 2005, the newest segment of the ever-growing Dallas North Tollway opened to drivers on September 29, 2007. With the 9.6-mile extension, the toll road travels 32 miles between downtown Dallas and U.S. 380 at Frisco.
Traveling over the new Texas 121 freeway along the northbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway. Texas 121 is part of a future freeway/toll road under construction to link Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with McKinney through the northern suburbs.
Approaching the Lebanon Road off-ramp along the northbound tollway. Ramps utilize the adjacent Dallas Parkway frontage roads to make the connection with intersecting roads such as Lebanon Road. This ramp will also serve the future John Hickman Parkway.
U.S. 380 is not the ultimate end, as plans are already underway to extend the 1968-built original toll road further north into Grayson County. Frontage roads, named Dallas Parkway, are already under construction from the stub north end.
Tarps cover guide signs for the future Stonebrook Parkway off-ramp along the northbound toll road. The northbound off-ramp is slated to open on October 16; the nearby on-ramp will follow with a November 10 opening.
Departing the Dallas North Tollway along the Cotton Gin Road off-ramp. A two-lane configuration exists here, which is typical for the northernmost extension of the toll road.
The new segments of the Dallas North Tollway utilize an electronic toll collection system called TollTag. Like EZ-Pass, SunPass, PikePass, MNPass, and other systems throughout the country, transponders collect tolls from account holders electronically through prepaid accounts. Dallas North Tollway drivers still have the option to pay cash or use coin-drop baskets as well.
Changeable-LED overheads provide information and lane demarkations for drivers through the Eldorado main line Toll Plaza. TollTag holders are charged $1.05 while cash-paying drivers are levied $1.30 at the facility.
Nearing the Eldorado Parkway (Texas Farm to Market Road 2934) off-ramp on Dallas North Tollway northbound.
The end of the U.S. 380 off-ramp from the Dallas North Tollway. Construction is visible involving the extending of the Dallas Parkway frontage roads in anticipation of the future northern extension.
Source:
“Tollway rolls out Frisco extension.” The Dallas Morning News, September 29, 2007.
I wonder if the Dallas North Tollway could be numbered in a not too far future? With TX-130, TX-121, TX-45 in Austin, future TX Loop-49 at Tyler, TX-255 (former Camino Columbia Road),etc… and the MapArt and Rand-McNally inset map of Dallas in their road atlases showing the Bush Tpk market as “TX-190”, it won’t be long to see the North Tollway numbered
I spotted this interesting exterpt posted by Brian Purcell at
http://texhwyman.home.att.net/tex.htm
“Until a few years ago, Texas law prevented the state from building or operating toll highways. Instead, they could be built and operated by subsidiaries of TxDOT created specifically for that purpose. For instance, the Texas Turnpike Authority built and operates tollways in the Dallas area and the Harris County Toll Authority built and operates several tollways in the Houston area (see sidebar). In the late ’90s, a private toll road was built to connect the Columbia Solidarity Bridge northwest of Laredo to I-35. In recent years, with worsening congestion and insufficient funding, the state has been pushing toll roads as a viable option to get new roads built. Ergo, the first phase of a toll road from Georgetown to Seguin is currently under construction to relieve congestion on I-35 in Central Texas and several toll roads are under construction or planned in the Austin area. Recently, there have been additional toll road proposals across the state, especially in the San Antonio area (see the San Antonio Area Tollway System page for more info), not to mention the statewide Trans-Texas Corridor project.”