More road-widening projects are underway. This time, the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) is under construction to alleviate traffic in Frisco.
According to Community Impact, the three-year project by the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) will affect drivers by implementing lane realignments and ramp closures in the upcoming months.
Traffic on the Fields Parkway bridge has been routed through readjusted lanes over the southbound side of the bridge, with two lanes of traffic in each direction.
The northbound side of the Fields Parkway bridge was demolished on October 19 in preparation for reconstructing a wider bridge. This part of the project is estimated to take 18 months to execute. Traffic will be realigned again when crews shift work on the southbound side of the bridge next year, according to Community Impact.
The bridge over Panther Creek Parkway will be similarly widened in the coming months.
“These DNT improvements show NTTA’s commitment to meeting the mobility demands of a rapidly-expanding North Texas,” said Elizabeth Mow, NTTA assistant executive director of infrastructure, according to Frisco Enterprise.
As a result of ongoing construction, two ramps are closed: the northbound exit ramp near Panther Creek Parkway and the southbound entrance ramp on the south side of Fields Parkway. These ramps will be closed for 12 to 18 months, according to Michael Rey, a North Texas Tollway Authority spokesperson.
During the construction, the speed limit will be reduced between Eldorado Parkway and PGA Parkway from 70 mph to 60 mph. In addition to watching out for these speed reductions, the NTTA is urging drivers to stay alert due to road changes.
“I cannot stress this enough — drivers must stay off their phones and be alert to changing conditions, reduced speed limits, and construction vehicles entering and exiting the work zone during construction,” Rey said.
At the cost of $160 million, the project will add a fourth lane to both northbound and southbound traffic along the Frisco portion of the tollway, starting at US 380 and ending at the Sam Rayburn Tollway, according to Community Impact.
The median excavation construction began in August, and drivers will continue to see widening work in the media throughout the entire project.
The DNT project is just one of many road-widening efforts underway in Texas to continue to update infrastructure and handle the projected increase in vehicle traffic, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
The project is expected to be completed in late 2025.