ACCESS
TOLLWAYS
DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY
LEWISVILLE LAKE TOLL BRIDGE
8
SAM
Moving around the Dallas area, you might find yourself on one of the North Texas toll roads. Here’s what you need to know before you do.
WAY OLL NT
BUR
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PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH TURNPIKE
NORTH TEXAS TOLLWAY AUTHORITY (NTTA): The organization sanctioned by the State of Texas to develop and maintain toll roads in North Texas. DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY (DNT ): Runs northsouth, connecting motorists between downtown Dallas and cities in Collin, Denton, and northern Dallas counties, passing through Dallas, Highland Park, University Park, Addison, Farmers Branch, Plano, and Frisco. It links with the Sam Rayburn Tollway, President George Bush Turnpike, I-635, and I-35. PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH TURNPIKE (PGBT ): Makes a partial loop around the Dallas area, currently extending from I-20 in the Grand Prairie area west of Dallas; north across I-30 into Irving, Carrollton, and North Dallas; east to Richardson and into Garland; before turning south through Sachse and Rowlett, across Lake Ray Hubbard to the interchange at I-30 in Garland.
MOUNTAIN CREEK LAKE BRIDGE
CHISOLM TRAIL PARKWAY
Existing toll roads
Planned toll roads
Planned toll lanes
Planned partial toll lanes
SAM RAYBURN TOLLWAY (SRT ): Formerly State Highway 121, extends northeasterly from Business 121 near the Dallas/Denton county line to U.S. 75 in Collin County. It links with U.S. 75 and DNT.
Source: DRC Research
If you’re going to be a frequent traveler on one of the tollways or the turnpike, you’ll want to get a TollTag. The self-adhesive transponder sticks on your windshield and debits your NTTA account each time you use a toll road (there are no toll booths on North Texas toll roads). You can skip the whole TollTag business, but you won’t get a free ride. The NTTA bills the registered owner of the vehicle by mail via ZipCash, which costs 50 percent more than paying via TollTag.
WHAT DOES IT COST? NTTA toll road rates align to miles traveled. The farther you drive on a toll road, the more you pay. Rates are reset every other year on July 1. The rate as of July 1, 2015, is 17.06 cents per mile. Here are a few examples of what you might pay on your commute. ROAD
ROUTE
TOLLTAG
ZIPCASH
DNT
I-635 to PGBT
$1.06
$1.59
DNT
Legacy to I-35
$3.49
$5.24
PGBT
Frankford to I-75
$1.61
$2.49
PGBT
I-20 to DNT
$4.69
$7.04
SRT
I-35 to Legacy
$1.46
$2.19
SRT
Business 121 to I-75
$4.04
$6.06
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D A L L A S - F O R T W O R T H R E L O C AT I O N + N E W C O M E R G U I D E
To open a TollTag account, go to ntta.org or call 972-818-6882. You can also apply for a tag in person at a regional NTTA partner, which includes government offices, libraries, and grocery stores all over the area.
PHOTO: J. P. FAGERBACK / CREATIVE COMMONS
DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY
BONUS: You can use your TollTag to pay for parking and pass-through at DFW International and Dallas Love Field airports.
WHAT ARE MANAGED TOLL LANES? Texas has a low gasoline tax relative to many other states, which means it needs another way to fund the construction and operation of highways—and that way is tolls, specifically, managed toll lanes. In a nutshell, managed toll lanes are taking the place of what were carpool lanes on freeways. Commuters who want to avoid congestion during peak travel times can take a managed lane for a price.
SPRING 2016