Toll Bridge Mobility Partnership

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) Board of Directors approved two agreements in April that will advance roadway improvements in Denton County at intersections on either side of the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge (LLTB).  These improvements will improve traffic flow, relieve congestion and accommodate the bridge’s anticipated traffic, which is expected to average between 10,000 and 15,000 vehicles a day in 2009.
 
Working with its LLTB partners, the NTTA identified several improvements to assist with traffic flow, including:
• a northbound right-turn lane on Interstate Highway (IH) 35E frontage road at Swisher Road;
• a traffic signal at Swisher Road and Shady Shores Road;
• a turn lane at each approach of Farm-to-Market Road (FM) 720 at Eldorado Parkway;
• upgrading an existing culvert;
• and resurfacing a portion of Eldorado Parkway.

NTTA and Denton County, through an interlocal agreement, will split the cost of these necessary improvements.  An interlocal agreement with the Town of Little Elm, who has already retained contractors, will task their contractors with completing the work prior to the opening of the LLTB. The project will cost approximately $600,000, nearly 40 percent less than originally expected.

“In the spirit of partnership, the NTTA was pleased to step up and share the costs of these improvements, which will benefit motorists utilizing this important corridor,” said NTTA Chairman Paul N. Wageman.

All three agencies are working together to complete the proposed improvements before the bridge opens later this summer.  

“Little Elm is more than willing to assist the NTTA and Denton County in this process to ensure traffic will flow as smooth as possible through this portion of the Lewisville Lake Corridor when the toll bridge opens,” said Little Elm Mayor Frank Kastner.  “The Town of Little Elm anxiously awaits the Texas Department of Transportation getting construction underway this fall to complete the last remaining segment of the Lewisville Lake Corridor on Eldorado Parkway.”

Upon completion, the LLTB corridor will open a new east-west connection between IH 35E and the Dallas North Tollway, transforming Denton County’s infrastructure and providing more mobility options for area residents.

“I am happy to be able to facilitate solutions that help improve efficient traffic flow,” said Denton County Commissioner Hugh Coleman (Precinct 1).  “The timely completion of the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge is a priority to the region. I am sure the bridge and new corridor will greatly help the area economy as well as increase regional mobility.”

For more information about the LLTB or other NTTA projects, please visit www.ntta.org.