NTTA Submits SH 121 Proposal to Regional Transportation Council

The NTTA's SH 121 proposal commits $3.333 billion to North Texas over the term of the contract, consisting of an upfront payment of $2.5 billion and guaranteed annual payments over time equal to $833 million in 2007 dollars. Both the upfront payment and guaranteed annual payments exceed the amounts provided in a private sector proposal.

The NTTA has completed a milestone schedule that forecasts completion of the roadway ahead of the TxDOT schedule outlined in the SH 121 Request for Proposal (RFP). Upon opening, SH 121 will have a significant impact on mobility in all four NTTA counties.

“SH 121 is a critical, direct link to the economic vitality of North Texas and will further enhance the $28 billion of valuation that has already been added to the Collin, Dallas, and Denton County tax rolls as a result of the Dallas North Tollway and the President George Bush Turnpike,” NTTA Board Chairman Paul N. Wageman said. “The NTTA has created a financially-superior proposal and schedule to ensure that this much needed mobility improvement is open to motorists as soon as possible with minimal disruption to the traveling public.”

The NTTA proposal is in response to a March 26 letter from RTC Chairperson Cynthia White. In addition, the Texas Transportation Commission recently made “the necessary amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding (implementing the regional protocol) to enable [NTTA] to propose to deliver SH 121.”

“The action taken by the NTTA Board of Directors will benefit all North Texans by creating new jobs, increasing the property tax base, and enhancing the NTTA’s financial stability and capacity to finance and construct other planned toll projects in a timely manner,” Wageman added.

The RTC will now review the NTTA proposal. The Texas Transportation Commission is looking to the RTC for a recommendation.

The NTTA has been the region’s tolling authority for over 50 years and annually generates more than $88 million in economic activity and over 1,000 jobs. In addition, NTTA processes 1.1 million transactions a year for TollTag customers and has almost 1.3 million active TollTags in north Texas. NTTA’s involvement in this project will ensure that this North Texas facility is built, maintained, and operated by a North Texas public entity, which keeps all revenue generated from the project in north Texas.

For more information about the NTTA’s proposal, please go to our Web site, www.ntta.org and then click on “Projects, State Highway 121 in Collin, Dallas and Denton Counties.”