NTTA to break ground on SH 121 at ceremony on Friday February 22

by PegNews wire

Ceremonies will include speechifying by officials and previews of future electronic toll gantries.

On Friday, Feb. 22, the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) will host a groundbreaking ceremony for State Highway (SH) 121, on 121 at the Hillcrest Road intersection, to signify the beginning of NTTA construction on SH 121.

The NTTA will host regional leaders and transportation industry partners, to celebrate SH 121's contributions to mobility and the economy of north Texas. Speakers include: NTTA Chairman Paul N. Wageman; Collin County Judge Keith Self; Collin County Commissioners Joe Jaynes and Phyllis Cole; Denton County Commissioner Ron Marchant; North Richland Hills Mayor Oscar Trevino, Chairman of the Regional Transportation Council; and TxDOT's Assistant Executive Director of Innovative Project Delivery Phil Russell.

In 2007, the NTTA successfully bid on the right to own, operate, maintain, and construct SH 121 for the next 50 years. For this right, the NTTA presented a $3.2 billion dollar check to the region for use on other transportation projects.

source: NTTA

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Pavel Lishin, says:

I thought they'd already been building stuff out there for the better part of a year? Was the construction being handled by TxDOT before the 22nd?

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1 year, 9 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

Pavel:

In 2007, the NTTA successfully bid on the right to own, operate, maintain, and construct SH 121 for the next 50 years.

Simply b/c it was being made a toll road doesn't mean NTTA was automatically on the job since they already have others in the area. Toll roads are tended to by private companies, so theoretically someone else could have come in and assumed responsibility for the toll leg of 121.

<a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/feb/02/north-texas-tollway-authority-celebrates-year-long/">iirc</a>, the lack of toll booths was a testing phase - seems they're moving to an all electronic system. Your TollTag will still be used like it always has, and you'll still get the preferred rates for having it, but peeps who don't have one will be billed at their mailing address registered with the state (well, the mailing address on the car's registration that you're driving).