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SRT/DNT Interchange Reaches New Heights Interchange Will Handle More Traffic than Envisioned a Decade Ago
Construction on the Sam Rayburn Tollway/Dallas North Tollway interchange improvements continues at a deliberate, brisk pace as the contractor sets more concrete and steel bridge beams to connect the two roadways.
Major lane and ramp closures will continue primarily on weekends at the toll roads’ interchange in Frisco and Plano for the next six months to ensure crew and motorist safety during construction.
When the new five-level interchange is complete – anticipated in January 2012 –direct connecting ramps will make travel through the area quicker and easier because motorists will no longer have to exit either road to access the other.
Upon its completion, the interchange will feature eight direct-connecting bridges to link the two busy toll roads. The NTTA also is making local access improvements between the roadways’ main lanes and frontage roads.
Although originally designed by the Texas Department of Transportation in 2001 to have only two direct-connectors, rapid growth in Frisco and Plano and the burgeoning Legacy Business Park area prompted the NTTA and TxDOT to develop together a new concept that would improve traffic, reduce congestion and enhance economic development. After the NTTA took over the SRT corridor in August 2008, design was completed on the five-level interchange, which the NTTA is building today.
Improving the interchange’s design meant that some existing retaining walls built for the original interchange design would be replaced or modified. At the same time, a majority of the existing infrastructure is being incorporated into the improved interchange design.
The new five-level interchange will allow traffic to continuously flow through the busy Frisco/Plano area, improving regional mobility and spurring further economic development opportunities.
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