LED-enhanced “Wrong Way” Signs Installed

In a continued effort to advance responsible driving and address wrong-way driver prevention, the NTTA installed six LED-enhanced “Wrong Way” signs in December as part of a pilot project initiated by the NTTA’s Wrong-way Driver Task Force.

NTTA maintenance crews installed the signs at the southbound end of the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) near Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas, at the northbound Cotton Gin (Main St.) ramp at the DNT, and at the northbound end of the DNT at Hwy. 380 in Frisco. The signs will now be assessed for visibility and nighttime impact to determine whether system-wide deployment is warranted.

The NTTA Wrong-way Driver Task Force continues to address wrong-way driver prevention and is taking the additional following steps to increase safety on the NTTA System:

• Working with the City of Dallas on enhancements to the Wycliff Avenue median at the
southbound DNT exit ramp. The enhancements are designed to make it more difficult for
motorists under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to make errant left turns onto the
ramp.
• Conducting lane-level testing of wrong-way driver detection loops.

The Authority also has:
• Contracted with the Texas Transportation Institute to conduct crash tests in January
2010 for the possibility of lowering “Wrong Way” signs near exit ramps.
• Installed additional “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs and adding
reflective tape to those signs.
• Added one-way pavement markers at the south end of the DNT.
• Installed raised pavement markers and piloting a detection system.

The Authority also uses NTTA’s current intelligent transportation system of more than 1,000 cameras, pavement sensors and large messaging signs to ensure the safety of our motorists. It continues to work closely with the Department of Public Safety and local police to increase patrols during holiday weekends or other periods when drunken driving is likely, as well as work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving in an educational campaign to help eliminate drunken driving.