All-ETC Conversion Update

The current all-electronic toll collection (all-ETC) conversion of the remaining NTTA facilities promises to deliver increased safety, fuel efficiency and better air quality. The project, which will require several months of construction along the Dallas North Tollway (DNT), will eliminate the traditional cash toll booths. The Addison Airport Toll Tunnel and Mountain Creek Lake Toll Bridge will also convert to all-ETC.

Weaving, or frequent lane changes, is one of the main contributors to congestion on all roads. The elimination of the cash collection lanes will mean no more weaving in and out of lanes to make toll payments. By eliminating the weaving around the traditional cash booths, all motorists on the NTTA System will experience improved mobility, enhanced safety and extended fuel efficiency.  All traffic will travel under the new all-electronic toll collection gantries, after which invoices will be sent to drivers who do not have active TollTag accounts.

Another benefit to drivers in the region is the decrease in air pollution. The constant starting and stopping of vehicles adds to air pollution. Transitioning to all-ETC will eliminate the stopping, starting and idling associated with cash toll lanes. A study printed in the September 2008 Journal of Environmental Management found that reductions of up to 37 percent of near-roadside carbon monoxide concentration levels and as much as 58 percent decrease in diesel particulate matter can be achieved by all-electronic toll collection when compared to conventional toll plaza designs. Other studies have also found a reduction in the emissions that contribute to ground-level ozone, mainly volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, when comparing traditional toll plazas to the all-electronic toll collection systems. By promoting a continuous flow of traffic at consistent speeds, the NTTA promotes air quality in the region.

Construction on the DNT related to the all-ETC conversion is scheduled to begin in late May/early June. Construction will continue through the conversion to all-ETC, scheduled for December 2010, and into the second quarter of 2011. Most construction activity immediately following the conversion in December will be the demolition of the old toll plazas along the DNT.

For construction updates and additional information about the conversion to all-ETC visit  www.ntta.org and use the links on the front page to visit the all-ETC project page