The 121 Tollway officially transferred to the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) System on Sept. 1, 2008. The toll road was transferred to the NTTA from the state highway system overseen by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

 

The following list of questions provides answers to many of the inquiries we have received.

 

The 121 Tollway in Collin, Dallas and Denton counties officially joined the NTTA System on Sept. 1, 2008 for the next 50 years. SH 121 was transferred to the NTTA from the state highway (TxDOT) system. It will be called the “121 Tollway” until a new name is chosen.

 

 

In 2007, the NTTA was granted the privilege to design, build, operate and maintain SH 121 in Collin, Dallas and Denton counties by the Texas Transportation Commission. In return, the NTTA provided a payment of $3.2 billion to the region.

 

 

SH 121 from just west of Denton Tap Road to east of Medical Center Drive [located east of the U.S. 75 interchange] was transferred to the NTTA. The total project length will be approximately 26 miles when complete. As of Aug. 31, 16 miles opened to traffic.

 

The SH 121 corridor in Collin, Dallas and Denton counties lost its “state highway” moniker on Aug. 31. It is being called “the 121 Tollway” until the NTTA Board of Directors selects a new name. The NTTA will solicit input from the corridor cities, counties and the public. The service roads will retain the SH 121 designation.

 

Segment 1 – 7.05 miles, from Denton Tap Road in Coppell to Old Denton Road in Carrollton; open to traffic.

Segment 2 – 9.02 miles, from Old Denton Road in Carrollton to Hillcrest Road on the Plano/Frisco line; opened to traffic on Aug. 31.

Segment 3 – 6.88 miles, from Hillcrest Road to Hardin Boulevard; under construction and will open by January 2010.

Segment 4 – 2.94 miles, from Hardin Boulevard to the east of Medical Center Drive including the 121 Tollway/U.S. 75 interchange; will open by January 2011.

Segment 5 – .33 miles, consists of adding direct-connect bridges to the 121 Tollway at the Dallas North Tollway; will be complete by January 2012.

 

 

The NTTA’s project limits on the 121 Tollway in Collin, Dallas and Denton counties end at Business 121 west of Denton Tap Road in Denton County. The portion you are referring to belongs to TxDOT. Please call 214-320-4480 for more information.

The 121 Tollway is NTTA’s first all-electronic toll project. There are no tollbooths on the 121 Tollway. You're able to drive under the toll gantries – raised structures that span the main lanes or ramps – without having to slow down or worrying about stopping to deposit coins. You pay tolls through your TollTag account or through ZipCash, a “drive-now, pay-later” option.

 

If you do not have a TollTag or other electronic transponder, a picture will be taken of your license plate, and you will be sent a bill in the mail. The ZipCash rate is higher than the TollTag rate to reflect the higher cost of collection. You may also use an existing TxTag (Texas Tollways transponder) or an EZ Tag (Harris County Toll Road Authority transponder). All transponder-equipped vehicles are charged the same TollTag rate due to statewide interoperability of the transponders.

 

 

All-electronic tolling reduces weaving and stop-and-go traffic associated with cash lanes at toll plazas, leading to improved fuel efficiency and better air quality. In addition, the uninterrupted lanes are safer and faster.

 

Yes, tolls increased on the portion of the road that was previously open to traffic (which is in Segment 1), from Denton Tap Road in Coppell to Old Denton Road in Carrollton. Toll rates on the Segment 1 main lanes that were already open to traffic adjusted on Sept. 1 in order to conform to the regional toll policy in the SH 121 project agreement with TxDOT.

 

Rates for all vehicles traveling on the 121 Tollway or any other NTTA facility are posted on the NTTA Web site, www.ntta.org, and prominently displayed on rate signs on the roadway. The following table contains the current two-axle toll rates on the 121 Tollway:

CURRENT TWO-AXLE RATES

A TollTag customer with a two-axle passenger vehicle will pay $2.11 to drive the 121 Tollway from Business 121 in Denton County, to the Coit Road exit in Collin County. The ZipCash rate is $3.06

 

 

A two-axle vehicle with a TollTag will pay 79 cents to drive the length of Segment 1. They used to pay 75 cents. A ZipCash customer will pay $1.18. They used to pay $1.05.

 

The adjusted rates were applied to eight ramp gantries and a single main lane gantry on Segment 1, which stretches from Denton Tap Road to Old Denton Road in Denton County. The ramp gantry adjustment affected both electronic toll transponder and ZipCash transaction types. However, if your vehicle has an electronic toll transponder, you saw no rate change at the main lane gantry on Segment 1. (All transponder-equipped vehicles are charged the same TollTag rate due to statewide interoperability of the transponders.)

 

Toll rates are charged according to how many axles a vehicle has, and TollTag users will always pay less than drivers without a TollTag. Motorists in two-axle passenger cars or trucks using ZipCash pay between 2 cents and 12 cents more at each ramp to travel on Segment 1, depending on which exit ramp they use. Passenger cars with a TollTag using the MacArthur Boulevard or Carrollton Parkway ramps pay 1 cent more. 

 

The following table lists the Segment 1 adjusted toll rates for two-axle vehicles:

 

NEW TWO-AXLE RATES AS OF SEPT. 1