North Texas Tollway Authority -- Driving Forward - A monthly customer newsletter


NTTA SPECIAL ALERT

Phase 3 of State Highway 161 Set to Open

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will open Phase 3 of SH 161 on Saturday, April 10, 2010, eight months ahead of schedule.  Phase 3 includes the southbound lanes and service roads of State Highway (SH) 161 between SH 183 and Interstate Highway 30.

The project’s three southbound lanes, along with all southbound exits (Trinity Boulevard/Shady Grove Road and Lower Tarrant) and entrances (Conflans Road, Trinity Boulevard and Oakdale Road) will open to traffic in the late afternoon hours on April 10. 

To allow for the transition of the interim traffic patterns, the northbound lanes of SH 161 north of I-30 to SH 183 will be reduced to one lane of traffic until at least Tuesday, April 13. 

The NTTA will continue to collect tolls electronically on SH 161.  Tolls on the main lanes will remain the same; however, the newly opened entrance and exit ramps will be tolled as follows:
 
Ramp TollTag Rate ZipCash Rate
Shady Grove – NB Entrance/SB Exit $.38 $.58
N. Lower Tarrant – NB Entrance/SB Exit $.39 $.59
S. Lower Tarrant – NB Exit/SB Entrance  $.22 $.42

SH 161 Phase 2 opened to traffic in August 2009 and included the northbound lanes, which provided two northbound and two southbound lanes for interim travel in advance of the completion of the full section. 

TxDOT and the NTTA signed a project agreement allowing the NTTA to develop and construct the roadway’s fourth and final phase, the main lanes from I-30 to I-20. 

The corridor project development is a natural extension of the President George Bush Turnpike and is an 11.5-mile link in a growing loop around Dallas originally initiated in 1969.  The corridor is being developed in four phases:

• Phase I - The service road between I-30 and I-20, constructed by TxDOT, is substantially complete and open to traffic.
• Phase 2 - Constructed by TxDOT and consists of two main lanes in each direction between SH 183 and just north of I-30 on the northbound side of the road along with several entrances and exit ramps.  Toll gantries were constructed by NTTA.
• Phase 3 - Constructed by TxDOT and consists of the southbound side of the road, which will provide for the ultimate configuration of three mainlanes for north and southbound travelers and the remaining service roads between SH 183 and I-30.  Toll gantries were constructed by NTTA.
• Phase 4 - To be constructed by NTTA and consists of main lanes between I-30 and I-20.  Included in Phase 4 are two major interchanges at I-30 and I-20, along with the construction of a railroad crossing at Main and Jefferson Streets.

ZipCash customers pay 50 percent more than TollTag customers.  TollTag customers can also use their TollTag on any toll road in the state, as well as at D/FW International and Dallas Love Field airports for parking and pass-through.  At D/FW International passing through without a TollTag costs $2; with a TollTag it only costs $1. 

TollTags are available at multiple locations throughout the Metroplex and online. For a full listing go to www.ntta.org.

Southwest Parkway Construction Activities Set to Begin Next Week in Fort Worth
It’s been talked about for years, but the time has finally come for work to begin on the Southwest Parkway in Fort Worth. Beginning next week, NTTA crews will begin preliminary construction activities for the 8.7-mile limited access toll road that extends from Interstate Highway 30 in downtown Fort Worth to Altamesa Boulevard in southwestern Fort Worth. 

To accommodate the first areas of construction on this regional mobility project, the construction teams must close various lanes of traffic on two streets and completely close another street.

On Tuesday, April 13, 2010, NTTA crews will close the north- and southbound inside (left) lanes of Hulen Street from Stonegate Boulevard to Hulen Place to remove parts of the concrete medians allowing temporary pavement to be installed. When this work is complete, traffic on northbound Hulen Street will be diverted onto the west half of the Hulen Street bridge. This will create one lane of traffic in each direction on the west half of the Hulen Street bridge across the Union Pacific Railroad’s (UPRR) Davidson Yard.

Also on April 13, 2010, crews will close the right traffic lane on eastbound West Vickery Boulevard immediately west of Hulen Street to facilitate construction immediately to the south at the UPRR’s Davidson Yard.

Beginning Tuesday, April 20, 2010, crews will close both the Rosedale Street connector entrance and exit to I-30 to allow for bridge demolition and reconstruction. Afterward, drivers will no longer be able to make a direct connection to Forest Park Boulevard off West Vickery Boulevard. All eastbound traffic on West Vickery Boulevard will be redirected onto West Rosedale Street via southbound University Drive or onto eastbound I-30 under the Rosedale Street connector ramps. In addition, the right lane of eastbound I-30 will be turned into an exit only lane for University Drive. From eastbound I-30, the Montgomery Street exit (11), University Drive exit (12A), Forest Park Boulevard exit (12C), and Summit Avenue exit (13B) will all provide alternate routes to the Hospital District and points southeast of I-30 and the Trinity River.

These closures will remain in place until April 2011.  Construction crews will remove these closures as soon as practical, but motorists can expect them to be in place for up to one year.

The NTTA is partnering with the City of Fort Worth, the Texas Department of Transportation, UPRR and Tarrant County on the Southwest Parkway. While the NTTA has not formally accepted the project, the Authority is committed to advancing Southwest Parkway to meet the region’s transportation needs.

The NTTA sincerely appreciates the patience and understanding of everyone who might be affected by the upcoming and future street and lane closures needed for construction.

There are a number of ways to learn more about the Southwest Parkway project.

• Visit the NTTA Web site, www.ntta.org.
• Become a fan on the NTTA’s Facebook page.
• Send us an e-mail at SouthwestParkway@ntta.org and sign up for the monthly Southwest Parkway Corridor Progress Reports and/or Southwest Parkway Construction & Traffic Report. All we need is your e-mail address to begin receiving these informative documents.
• Call us at (817) 332-0404.

Customer Service Center
972-818-6882 (NTTA)
www.ntta.org/
TalktoNTTA@ntta.org

Roadway Customer Service / Courtesy Patrol
972-444-4357 (HELP)

NTTA Command Center
(214) 224-2203

Emergencies on the Roadway
Dial 911 immediately

 

NTTA Administrative Offices
214-461-2000

Current Roadway Conditions and Lane Closures
Driving Conditions

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