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Action by Texas Transportation Commission Is Good News for Bush Turnpike Eastern Extension The President George Bush Turnpike Eastern Extension is a proposed 9.9-mile segment from SH 78 in Garland, east and south to IH-30. The six-lane toll road will pass through Garland, Rowlett and Sachse and will include a one-mile bridge over Dallas' Lake Ray Hubbard.
“The Eastern Extension project is a very important roadway for commuters in northeast Dallas County,” said Jorge C. Figueredo, Executive Director of the North Texas Tollway Authority. “We thank the Texas Transportation Commission for their support by approving the financing and connection agreements.”
The Eastern Extension project received environmental clearance from the Federal Highway Administration in January 2005, giving approval to begin design and construction. Work on a final design is under way. In May of 2007, the NTTA received authorization to begin the purchase of Right of Way and that process is ongoing with neighboring communities. In addition, TxDOT and the NTTA continue to make plans for the construction of the major interchange at IH-30. A re-evaluation of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the project is also underway.
The tentative project schedule calls for construction to begin in the third quarter of 2008. The projected opening from SH 78 to IH-30 is late 2011 to early 2013.
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