Motorists can drive the entire length of the Dallas North Tollway without stopping or weaving to pay tolls now that three new side-by-side lanes have replaced main lane toll plazas in Plano and Addison, but more construction is on tap as part of NTTA’s switch to cashless tolling.
Like the former main lane toll plazas, toll booths on the Tollway’s entrance and exit ramps will be demolished in coming months. This work will require extended lane or ramp closures to construct new concrete pavement and toll gantry structures before demolition work can begin. The first closures will begin with the Spring Valley Road ramps in February and March.
Feb. 27-March 5: Southbound entrance ramp at Spring Valley Road will be closed continuously from 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 until 5 a.m. Saturday, March 5.
The week-long closure at Spring Valley Road will allow crews to safely demolish the existing structures as quickly as possible rather than reducing lanes and periodically closing the ramps over a longer period of time.
Additional construction will continue through June 2011 at various locations along the Tollway as well as Mountain Creek Lake Bridge and Addison Airport Toll Tunnel, which were converted to cashless tolling in December. Please visit www.NTTA.org for updates on the cashless tolling change as well as lane and ramp closure information.
Side-by-Side Lanes, New Camera Lighting
Crews finished adding the new third main lanes in January, allowing traffic to flow more smoothly through the areas reducing bottlenecks. The result: three unimpeded, side-by-side lanes are now open the entire 30-mile length of the Dallas North Tollway. Motorists can drive all the way from U.S. 380 to downtown Dallas without stopping, weaving or merging to pay tolls along the way now that the main lane plazas at Parker Road and Keller Springs Road have been removed.
Overhead tolling structures, known as gantries, on the main lanes near Trinity Mills Road and Parker Road feature new, less-intrusive lighting without an impact on cameras. In fact, the NTTA plans to use three lighting components on the new gantries. The first component includes special LED lights on cameras that appear much dimmer and provide reduced reflection for motorists. The second lighting component, known as wash or up lighting, will help motorists see more of the upper gantry structures and is expected to be added in mid-2011. The final lighting component includes backlight for the NTTA logo, so motorists clearly see the signage, which can be especially important to out of town motorists.
NTTA’s move to cashless tolling decreases traffic congestion improves road safety and enhances air quality.