The convenience of the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) is coming at an ever greater cost.
When the DNT was first opened to motorists 50 years ago, it was opened with the expectation of eventually making it a freeway.
But the highway will soon be one step further from free, as the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) recently announced toll rate increases.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, on July 1, TollTag motorists on the DNT will have to pay on average 21 cents per mile, while those using ZipCash (pay-by-mail) will be charged double.
Even before the announcement of an imminent rate increase, motorists complained about the toll rate.
Texans for Toll-free Highways, for instance, as reported by The Dallas Express late last year, maintains that tolls in general are a burden on residents. The group also questions the efficiency and accountability of the toll authorities managing these funds.
Even back in 1975, locals shook their heads at toll rate increases on the DNT and wondered when it would be paid off, as an archived story from WFAA reported.
At the time, tolls increased from 20 to 25 cents per booth to better manage the NTTA’s debt payments. DNT traffic had declined with Dallas Love Field receiving less business following the opening of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
With the increase, it was expected that the NTTA would be free of debt by 2005 and the DNT would be made a freeway, which did not happen.
In fact, due to new extensions, maintenance costs, and other operational fees, the NTTA has a debt of $9.5 billion and an estimated payoff date of 2049.
This March, the NTTA opened its latest DNT extension over Highway 380 that connects to the city of Prosper by a bridge, as The Dallas Express reported.
Like many extension projects, this one aimed at easing congestion in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a negative consequence of the extraordinary growth the metroplex has seen in terms of population and business.
Extension projects in and of themselves can also cause motorists problems.
For instance, the three-year project to widen the Panther Creek Parkway and the DNT near the Fields Parkway bridge to alleviate traffic in Frisco has led to months of lane realignments and ramp closures, as The Dallas Express reported.
But the extension projects delay the possibility of the Dallas North Freeway.
In the unlikely event that the NTTA did not take on any more extension projects and the biennial rate increase for its debt remained at 2.75%, the Dallas North Freeway could finally come into being in 20 years.
Or perhaps not, as there is no state law saying that tolls will end once the roadways are paid off, as The Dallas Express previously reported. The NTTA has indicated it will continue to collect tolls on its roadways, including the DNT.
The organization explained that 56% of every dollar collected goes toward paying off bonded debt, 25% funds operation and maintenance costs, and the last 19% is used to make advancements and improvements.
