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Lanes to open on SH 121 to Ease Congestion The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) is working with the Texas Department of Transportation to open one lane in each direction on State Highway (SH) 121 at Preston Road in Collin County to help alleviate traffic congestion on the service roads.
By June 2008, the NTTA will open one northbound and one southbound lane on SH 121, between Parkwood Boulevard and Ohio Drive in Plano. The open lanes will allow motorists traveling on the northbound and southbound SH 121 service roads to bypass the signal lights at Preston Road. Using this temporary arrangement, motorists will drive onto the newly constructed roadway to bypass the intersection. This route will be similar to the temporary bypass around the Custer Road intersection that motorists have been enjoying further north on SH 121.
No tolls will be charged on the newly opened SH 121 lanes in the Preston Road area until the NTTA assumes full responsibility for SH 121 in September of 2008. The new lanes may require periodic closures to ensure safe conditions for workers who are finishing construction in the area.
“We’re pleased to assist in the opening of these lanes to ease traffic congestion along SH 121 in the Preston Road area,” said Jeff Dailey, NTTA Assistant Executive Director for Project Delivery. “We want motorists to know that we’re committed to helping them get where they want to go in a timely manner.”
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is currently working to complete the construction of SH 121 in this area, known as Segment 2, which stretches from Old Denton Road north to Hillcrest Road. Segment 1, from Denton Tap Road north in Coppell to Old Denton Road in Carrollton, is open to traffic.
The NTTA will not assume full responsibility for SH 121 until September 2008, following completion of TxDOT’s construction and the NTTA’s installation of signs, pavement markings, noise walls and toll equipment on Segments 1 and 2.
TxDOT and the NTTA executed a project agreement in October 2007 that authorizes the NTTA to design, build, operate and maintain SH 121 in Collin, Dallas and Denton counties for approximately 50 years. The NTTA paid $3.2 billion payment to TxDOT and the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments in late November 2007. That money is expected to fund non-toll road projects and roadway improvements throughout the north Texas region.
Look for the opening dates on the NTTA Web site at www.ntta.org.
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