Perry Calls SH 121 Bypass a Landmark in Texas Transportation

Two major transportation milestones - the dedication of SH 121 in North Dallas and the announcement of the development of Loop 9 in South Dallas - will improve mobility for Metroplex-area motorists.
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Dallas' SH 121 Bypass Opens

Gov. Rick Perry recently dedicated the opening of State Highway 121 Bypass in Coppell, calling it a landmark in the history of Texas transportation.

"It is the first road to be completed as a project stemming from legislation passed in 2003 that has allowed Texas to develop new and better ways to pay for highway construction," Perry said. "And State Highway 121 will be the Texas Department of Transportation's first all-electronic toll road, with no toll booths to slow traffic down or contribute to accidents and no hassle of digging around for spare change."

Although the bypass, also known as the Golden Corridor, was built as a toll road, motorists will continue to be allowed to drive on the road at no charge throughout the fall as TxDOT tests the new electronic toll-tag readers.

"This announcement means that drivers will not only have a few extra months to enjoy a toll-quality road without the cost, they will also have more time to get an electronic TxTag sticker, which gives drivers a 10 percent discount on the Golden Corridor and every other toll road in Texas," Perry said.

Motorists who use the North Texas Tollway Authority's TollTag or the Harris County Toll Road Authority's EZ TAG won't need a new sticker. And those who would rather pay per trip will still be able to drive on SH 121. New technology will allow them to get a bill by mail, although the cost will be a little more.

"By leveraging the latest technology and the resources of the private sector, SH 121 will provide North Texans a route that is faster, safer and more efficient - as well as funding for additional road improvements in this part of the state," Perry said.

Toll revenue from the 121 Bypass will help provide the $200 million it will cost to widen IH-35 East through Denton County, the $80 million reconstruction project of FM 423 and other projects designed to get traffic moving in North Texas.

Perry Announces 140-Mi. Loop in Dallas Ready for Development

Gov. Rick Perry recently announced that the private sector offering to build the southern section of the long-anticipated Loop 9 in South Dallas.

"For too long the lion's share of economic development and infrastructure has been focused on North Dallas to the exclusion of the needs and potential of South Dallas," Perry said. "But this southern loop has the potential to relieve congestion, improve air quality, increase highway safety and provide safer routes for hazardous cargo."

Officials with Cintra-Zachry have notified TxDOT that traffic patterns in the region now warrant construction of a southern connector route, and the company is willing to pay for construction of the roadway as a toll road. Loop 9, which has been under study in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since the 1960s, could eventually tie in with the Trans Texas Corridor-35 project. Environmental impact studies on a possible southern route are nearing completion.

Perry has directed the Texas Transportation Commission to expand its study of the TTC-35 project to incorporate local officials' and residents' call for an outer loop that links to TTC-35.

"Under the old system of building roads, we divided up a limited pie of tax dollars that could never keep up with growth, let alone ongoing maintenance needs," Perry said.
"The fact is, Southern Dallas County has waited long enough for a southern connector to be built, and relying upon the federal or state share of gas tax revenues to make that dream a reality has been nothing more than an exercise in futility."

Perry said the only option Texas has to meet its transportation needs, other than toll roads, is to raise the state gasoline tax a dollar.

Toll roads are the only viable option, Perry said, because they not only are built faster, the cost of construction is paid by those who use the roadway and there will always be a free alternative for motorists who don't want to pay the toll.

Perry said the southern connector would have a major impact on traffic and growth in the entire region.

"An outer loop will not only create jobs and growth in the southern part of the Metroplex, it can help solve the Tower 55 freight rail problem in Tarrant County while relieving the burden of extraordinary growth already placed on the Northern side," Perry said.