Commuters driving to and from Frisco on the Dallas North Tollway will see traffic cones and work crews this summer.

Construction began in May on the DNT in Plano between SH 121 and President George Bush Turnpike. A fourth lane will be added to both the northbound and southbound main lanes of the toll road.

Another lane will also be added to the direct-connector ramps on the north side of the DNT/PGBT interchange.

The on- and off-ramps between Parker Road and Windhaven Parkway will also undergo improvements, and two new ramps—one northbound on-ramp and one southbound exit ramp—will be added north of Windhaven Parkway as part of the construction.

This project is scheduled to be complete in early 2018.

Construction crews have already set up concrete barriers and restriped lanes for work zones to begin the roadway widening.

The speed limit on the DNT from PGBT to SH 121 has been reduced to 60 mph while construction is ongoing to help ensure the safety of drivers and workers, according to the North Texas Tollway Authority.

NTTA roads are currently running at capacity, and the roadways are facing aging infrastructure issues, NTTA Technical Oversight Leader Mark Bouma said during a Frisco City Council meeting June 16.

He said approximately 170,000 vehicles travel on the DNT in Plano daily.

NTTA plans to close DNT lanes for construction during non-peak traffic hours, NTTA Media Relations Manager Susan Slupecki said.

“All [major construction] will occur off peak hours and during evening and overnight hours,” she said. “We don’t want to impact any commuter traffic.”

“When surveyed, drivers tell us they choose to pay for driving NTTA toll roads because they find them faster, safer and cleaner.”

—Kenneth Barr, North Texas Tollway Authority chairman

Slupecki said drivers should expect lane closures and detours during construction.

“We’re encouraging drivers to sign up for our traffic alerts,” she said. “We have a website

[www.ntta.org] solely dedicated to these projects that will have all types of construction information provided there.”

In 2016 the NTTA also plans to add a fourth lane on the DNT main lanes from PGBT to I-635.

The cost for all of the DNT improvements is $281.5 million. The NTTA pays for construction and maintenance projects through bonds repaid with toll revenue. The NTTA’s increased toll rates took effect July 1 as part of a biennial toll rate schedule first approved in 2009.

TollTag customers now pay 17.06 cents per mile instead of 16.16 cents per mile. ZipCash customers—those who do not have a TollTag—will pay at least 50 percent more for tolls.

“When surveyed, drivers tell us they choose to pay for driving NTTA toll roads because they find them faster, safer and cleaner,” NTTA Chairman Kenneth Barr said in a news release.

“Communities also benefit from the economic development that toll roads generate, such as the future Toyota and Dallas Cowboys headquarters near the Dallas North Tollway/Sam Rayburn Tollway interchange and the State Farm and Raytheon headquarters near the George Bush Turnpike/US 75 interchange.”

To find more information about NTTA toll rates and road projects, visit communityimpact.com.