|
Main Lanes to Open on Tollway’s South End in August By the end of August, commuters driving on the south end of the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) will be able to use all six main lanes of traffic, three in each direction , from just south of Lemmon Avenue to the Interstate Highway (IH) 35E exit ramp.
One final traffic switch will be needed from Lemmon Avenue to between Wycliff Avenue and Maple Avenue in order to open the third lane of the DNT. However, all traffic currently is riding on the new pavement.
Temporary toll collection gantries are in place as work continues in the center median to build the NTTA’s new all-electronic toll collection gantry. A gantry is a bridge structure that holds electronic toll equipment and spans all lanes of traffic. In addition, workers have started to replace the center median barrier. The center median barrier, a longstanding DNT feature that helps prevent cross-over accidents, is being replaced as part of the project.
Further south near Oak Lawn Avenue, crews will begin constructing the DNT’s new southbound exit ramp and the new northbound entrance ramp to the DNT soon. Crews expect to begin construction in late July or early August.
From Maple Avenue to IH-35E, crews will begin constructing a southbound exit ramp to Oak Lawn from the DNT in late July. Construction work on the southbound lanes will also continue in August. A northbound Oak Lawn Avenue entrance ramp also will be opened once utility conflicts are resolved and Oak Lawn Avenue can be completed.
Crews placed a new bridge slab over Oak Lawn Avenue in mid-June and began paving the DNT south of Oak Lawn Avenue in early July.
Progress on the Oak Lawn Avenue project hit a snag after crews discovered a previously unknown fiber optic line that now must be relocated. Therefore, the August completion date has been delayed until late September or early October. In the meantime, eastbound traffic has been moved onto new concrete paving from IH-35E to Maple Avenue, with the westbound traffic to follow in mid- to late July.
Work on a new toll gantry began in late June and will continue into mid-October. That electronic equipment collects information from electronic transponders or license plates. Tolls are charged via TollTag transponders at a lower rate or via ZipCash, a payment method for customers without a TollTag. A temporary gantry is currently located just south of Lemmon Avenue.
The $50 million project on the oldest section of the DNT began in May 2006.
|