Dallas North Tollway
Encyclopedia
The Dallas North Tollway (DNT or simply the Tollway) is a 32 miles (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.
The Tollway was converted to all-electronic toll collection on December 11, 2010.
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.
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. All toll plazas are now equipped for electronic toll collection and main lane plazas feature TollTag
express lanes.
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 miles (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.
Note: NTTA does not provide mile reference markers or exit numbers. However, reference markers are provided at 500 feet (152.4 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.
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority
North Texas Tollway Authority
The North Texas Tollway Authority maintains and operates toll roads, bridges and tunnels in the North Texas area. Functioning as a political subdivision of the State of Texas under Chapter 366 of the Transportation Code, the NTTA is empowered to acquire, construct, maintain, repair and operate...
(NTTA), which runs from Interstate 35E
Interstate 35E (Texas)
Interstate 35E , an Interstate Highway, is the eastern half of Interstate 35 where it splits to serve different cities in Texas. I-35 splits into two branch routes, I-35W and I-35E at Hillsboro. I-35E runs north for , maintaining I-35's sequence of exit numbers. It runs through Dallas before...
near downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), to U.S. Highway 380, near Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
.
The Dallas North Tollway was the first toll road in the United States to implement Electronic Toll Collection
Electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection , an adaptation of military "identification friend or foe" technology, aims to eliminate the delay on toll roads by collecting tolls electronically. It is thus a technological implementation of a road pricing concept...
technology, with the introduction of the TollTag
TollTag
TollTag is the electronic toll collection system used by the North Texas Tollway Authority in the Dallas / Fort Worth metro area. It was North America’s first electronic toll collection system when it was installed on the Dallas North Tollway in 1989. There are currently over 2,000,000 TollTags in...
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.
The Tollway was converted to all-electronic toll collection on December 11, 2010.
History
The initial segment of the tollway ran from Interstate 35E to Interstate 635Interstate 635 (Texas)
Interstate 635 or the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway is a partial loop around Dallas, Texas between Interstate 20 in Balch Springs, Texas and State Highway 121 at the north entrance of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. The route is long...
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
State Highway 289 (Texas)
State Highway 289, known for most of its length as Preston Road, is a north–south Texas state highway. It begins at the intersection of Preston Road and Loop 12/Northwest Highway. The Preston Road designation comes from the fact that the highway generally follows the course of an older road...
, also known as Preston Road. The "DNT Extension Phase 3," which runs from State Highway 121
State Highway 121 (Texas)
State Highway 121, locally known as 121 or the Sam Rayburn Tollway, is a diagonal state highway, angling from southwest to northeast through north central Texas. It runs from downtown Fort Worth, Texas at the junction of Interstate 35W to Bonham, Texas, just north of a junction with U.S...
to U.S. Highway 380, opened in mid-2007.
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 $10. Rates increased in September 2009 and will increase every two years. All toll plazas are now equipped for electronic toll collection and main lane plazas feature TollTag
TollTag
TollTag is the electronic toll collection system used by the North Texas Tollway Authority in the Dallas / Fort Worth metro area. It was North America’s first electronic toll collection system when it was installed on the Dallas North Tollway in 1989. There are currently over 2,000,000 TollTags in...
express lanes.
Improvements/extension
At the Tollway's southern end, near downtown, the agency has rebuilt the road around the main toll plaza and added ramps at Oak Lawn Avenue. This project, started in 2006, ended in late fall 2008. On the southern sector of the tollway, the agency plans to spend about US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
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
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
(DART) to build a rail line along nearby Harry Hines Boulevard
Harry Hines Boulevard
Harry Hines Boulevard is a major street in Dallas, Texas, , to the west of Uptown.It was one of the very first 'highways' in Texas, and is named for Harry Hines in honor of his work helping to get roads paved in this part of the state. Harry Hines served on the Texas Highway Commission from Feb...
.
The North Texas Tollway Authority started work in January 2006 at seven north Dallas
North Dallas
North Dallas is an expensive area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas . The phrase "North Dallas" is also sometimes used to include any suburb or exurb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority of North Dallas is located in Dallas County while a small...
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
President George Bush Turnpike
The President George Bush Turnpike is a 45.1-mile toll road running generally east–west through the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is named for George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States...
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
Grayson County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 110,595 people, 42,849 households, and 30,208 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 48,315 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
line. It is planned to be a 13.5 miles (21.7 km) extension. A two-lane county road was upgraded from US 380 to Farm to Market Road 428 in Celina
Celina, Texas
Celina is a city in Collin and Denton County, Texas, United States. Celina has a population of 5,200 according to the 2010 census.-Geography:Celina is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
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.
Exit list
| County | Location | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Dallas County, Texas As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi... |
Dallas | – Downtown Dallas Downtown Dallas Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District... |
Southbound 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 | ||
| Walnut Hill Lane | Northbound exit, southbound entrance | ||
| Royal Lane | |||
| Forest Lane | Northbound exit, southbound entrance | ||
| Harvest Hill Road | Northbound exit, southbound entrance | ||
| Alpha Road / Galleria Road | |||
| Farmers Branch Farmers Branch, Texas Farmers Branch is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is both an inner-ring suburb of Dallas and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. The population was 27,508 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2008 U.S... |
Spring Valley Road / Verde Valley Lane / Quorum Drive | ||
| Addison Addison, Texas Addison is a city in Dallas County, Texas . The population was 14,166 at the 2000 census, and 15,737 according to a 2009 estimate. Addison is a northern suburb of Dallas... |
Belt Line Road Belt Line Road (Texas) Belt Line Road is a loop road that traverses through 16 cities in Dallas County, Texas. Belt Line Road is the outer complete loop which encircles Dallas, in contrast with Interstate 635 which forms an inner loop.... / Arapaho Road |
||
| Keller Springs Road / Addison Airport Tunnel / Arapaho Road | |||
| Collin Collin County, Texas As of the census of 2000, there were 491,675 people, 181,970 households, and 132,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 580 people per square mile . There were 194,892 housing units at an average density of 230 per square mile... |
Dallas | Trinity Mills Road / Briargrove Lane | Northbound exit, southbound entrance |
| Frankford Road / Haverwood Lane | |||
| Plano Parkway | Northbound exit, southbound entrance | ||
| President George Bush Turnpike President George Bush Turnpike The President George Bush Turnpike is a 45.1-mile toll road running generally east–west through the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is named for George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States... |
|||
| Plano Plano, Texas Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as... |
Chapel Hill Road / Park Boulevard | ||
| Parker Road | |||
| Windhaven Parkway | |||
| Tennyson Parkway / Spring Creek Parkway | |||
| Legacy Drive | |||
| Headquarters Drive | |||
| Frisco Frisco, Texas Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also... |
Gaylord Parkway / Warren Parkway | ||
| Lebanon Road | |||
| Stonebrook Parkway | |||
| Cotton Gin Road / Main Street | |||
| Panther Creek Parkway | |||
| County Road 24 | Northbound exit, southbound entrance | ||
| Northbound exit, southbound entrance |
Note: NTTA does not provide mile reference markers or exit numbers. However, reference markers are provided at 500 feet (152.4 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.