121 When Will

[bfg9000d]

Has anybody seen any work begin on 121. You hear about it and hear about it and all these things get approved but nothing happens. When is construction ever going to begin. I mean it takes Dallas Fort Worth 10 years to get a freeway built it takes Houston 6 months go figure.

[Talbot]

Never heard of 121, but it sounds like you have the same excitement about the project that we have or had about Shamrock. Lets just hope yours gets built.

[MaxConcrete]

The 121 project was reported on recently by the Dallas Morning News

SOUTHLAKE - Traffic usually zips through the improved areas of State Highway

114 in Southlake, but a few miles east, it slows to a crawl, especially

during rush hour.

The problem? Too many vehicles converging in a choke spot that

transportation planners have dubbed "the Grapevine funnel."

Relief for this intensifying bottleneck, which handles more than 160,000

vehicles a day, has been discussed for close to 20 years. Funding to

construct interchanges and highway lanes has been earmarked since 2001.

Although transportation officials had once hoped to start this $600 million

project in 2005, they now say construction should begin in about two years.

Officials announced at a regional transportation forum in Southlake this

week that planning for the funnel and another key transportation project in

northeast Tarrant County are moving along.

The funnel project is expected to take at least five years to complete. It

will be paid for by the state.

Jerry Hodge, Grapevine's director of public works and a chief advocate for

the funnel project, said residents can offer input during spring and summer

meetings.

"Our top priority with construction of this project is to get it done as

quickly as possible and with as little impact to traffic flow as possible,"

Mr. Hodge said. "We also want to make sure that access to all cities and

businesses are maintained throughout the construction process."

The funnel project will involve constructing five interchanges, adding

freeway and express lanes, and widening service roads.

The project will involve roads that converge into the funnel, including

highways 121, 114 and 360; Interstate 635; FM2499; and International

Parkway, the north-south road through Dallas-Fort Worth International

Airport.

Motorists can expect to pay tolls for using some of the new lanes, officials

said.

Construction will be done in phases with the most troublesome spots to be

tackled first, including the signal lights on Highway 121 near the Grapevine

Mills mall area.

Also at the top of the priority list is the intersection of state highways

114 and 121, Mr. Hodge said. The lack of a freeway interchange forces

traffic to exit the freeways and move through that signalized intersection,

resulting in congestion and delays, he said.

Besides the funnel project, the improvement of FM1938 in the Southlake,

Westlake and Keller area is set to begin by 2006.

FM1938, which at various points is called Precinct Line Road and Randol Mill

Avenue, intersects with FM1709 or Southlake Boulevard in Southlake. South of

Southlake Boulevard it becomes Davis Boulevard, a major north-south

thoroughfare for much of northeast Tarrant County.

The three-mile area to be improved stretches from Southlake Boulevard north

to State Highway 114. Reconstruction of the FM1938 and Highway 114

intersection is under way, officials said.

"This is a very important project for this part of northeast Tarrant

County," said Tarrant County Commissioner Glen Whitley at the forum. Mr.

Whitley is chairman of the Regional Transportation Council, which sets

transportation funding priorities for the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

"We feel that this greatly improve traffic in that area," he said.

The $25 million project will be done in two phases, with the area from the

northern tip of Randol Mill to State Highway 114 to be done first.

The two-lane FM1938 will be widened to six lanes north of Dove Road and four

lanes south of Dove to FM1709 or Southlake Boulevard, Mr. Whitley said.

The entire project is expected to be complete by 2010 and will be funded by

the state Transportation Department.

E-mail mrich...@dallasnews.com

[TxDave]

I want to hear more about the freeways that Houston built in 6 months.

[The Great Hizzy!]

That's quite an exaggeration. Although the current operating sections of both the Westpark and the Fort Bend Tollways have been built relatively quickly (like in roughly 24-30 months). Hopefully, Max Concrete sees this thread and has some specific info to share about both the recent Houston Tollways and the proposed 121 construction in DFW.

[TxDave]

Actually I think 121 in Collin County could be built quickly if all of the cities agreed to allowing tolls (Plano, Allen, and McKinney already have - Frisco is the holdout).

I think the portion of 121 from DFW to Frisco (in Denton County) is already approved for tolls and on the fast track for construction.

[WestGrayGuy]

This topic reminds of the craziness of Dallas roads. Not only do the numbering systems make no sense. The roads go in all sorts of directions. Downtown Dallas is freaky.

[Gary]

That's quite an exaggeration. Although the current operating sections of both the Westpark and the Fort Bend Tollways have been built relatively quickly (like in roughly 24-30 months). Hopefully, Max Concrete sees this thread and has some specific info to share about both the recent Houston Tollways and the proposed 121 construction in DFW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know that I-10 from Hwy 6 to Katy Mills has gone up faster than any freeway I've seen. They seem to be very close to completion except for the over passes of Barker Cypress and Mason. I believe they started construction less than two years ago. Now that's fast!

[kjb434]

Yes, all portions of the current Katy Freeway project are ahead of schedule.

At first, I thought this thread would be about FM 121 from I-35W to US 75 on the north side. That stretch would definitely need to be upgraded. I do see it as a Toll Facility though. Wonder if the NTTA is involved. I know HCTRA seems to watch all TxDOT projects and tries to offer to speed it up by offering to toll it as an option.

I don't know how active NTTA is compared to HCTRA. I know they are extending the SH 190 (George Bush Turnpike) south of I-35W and east of Plano.

[LTAWACS]

pics?

[The Great Hizzy!]

I know that I-10 from Hwy 6 to Katy Mills has gone up faster than any freeway I've seen. They seem to be very close to completion except for the over passes of Barker Cypress and Mason. I believe they started construction less than two years ago. Now that's fast!

You are correct in your impressions, sir. I'm also impressed with how quickly they are reconfiguring the interchange at the Grand Parkway to facilitate the limited access stretch that is being reconstructed (you'll note that the Grand Parkway at the Katy Freeway has always been a divided highway that acts a feeder road, with stops signs and so forth. It is currently being turned into a typical freeway, with exits and whatnot). The outermost stretch of the Katy from Katy Mills to Hwy 6 is scheduled for completion in summer 2006. They're actually a couple of months ahead fo schedule, thanks, in great part, to the lack of significant rain that we've gotten since February.

[MidtownCoog]

The roads go in all sorts of directions.

We always joked that the same Aggie who laid out the steets in Pasadena also worked in Dallas.

[Gary]

You are correct in your impressions, sir. I'm also impressed with how quickly they are reconfiguring the interchange at the Grand Parkway to facilitate the limited access stretch that is being reconstructed (you'll note that the Grand Parkway at the Katy Freeway has always been a divided highway that acts a feeder road, with stops signs and so forth. It is currently being turned into a typical freeway, with exits and whatnot). The outermost stretch of the Katy from Katy Mills to Hwy 6 is scheduled for completion in summer 2006. They're actually a couple of months ahead fo schedule, thanks, in great part, to the lack of significant rain that we've gotten since February.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah I live off 99 and 10 (about a mile) and there really moving on that underpass at the corner. I really wish they would hurry though, the traffic turning south at I-10 is murder in the afternoon.

[westguy]

We always joked that the same Aggie who laid out the steets in Pasadena also worked in Dallas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They must've done Katy too.

[MaxConcrete]

Actually I think 121 in Collin County could be built quickly if all of the cities agreed to allowing tolls (Plano, Allen, and McKinney already have - Frisco is the holdout).

I think the portion of 121 from DFW to Frisco (in Denton County) is already approved for tolls and on the fast track for construction.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

121 from DFW to Hillcrest (east of Frisco) is under construction. Much of it (Hebron Parkway to north of the airport) was awarded about 2 to 3 years ago and is just about complete. It is fully financed with gasoline tax funds but it will be tolled in a travesty of taxpayer good faith.

There is no involvement of NTTA in the project, except that they will administer the toll collection. The tolling took place well after construction was underway because TxDOT bribed and blackmailed local cities. ("If you don't toll it, we'll cut off your money. If you do toll it, we'll give you a cut of the action")

The section from Hillcrest to US 75 is under study right now. It will almost surely be tolled, unless Frisco holds out. The frontage roads are done, or are just about done. It is not clear to me if NTTA will have any role in that tolling. I think it will be a TxDOT affair, because once again the objective of the tolling will be to maximize revenue and spread money around. Unlike HCTRA, NTTA holds their toll rates as low as possible - about 60% of the rates HCTRA charges. TxDOT, on the other hand, is planning HCTRA-style toll rates even though nearly all of 121 is paid for with gas tax funds.

Fortunately TxDOT wasn't able to pull any stunts like this in Houston. With the recently-signed legislation, existing freeways are safe. However, TxDOT is basically demanding that every new facility built in Houston will be tolled. Right now it is unclear of TxDOT will do any of the tolling, or if HCTRA and FBTRA will remain the only toll operators in the Houston area. The northern sections of the Grand Parkway could become a TxDOT project if it is moved into Mongomery County.

[InnerLoopOnly]

Far be it from me to praise road construction but I believe Dallas roads are laid out more efficiently than Houston roads. In Houston the roads are laid out in a wheel/spoke formation. You typically have one way into the central area. Also there are few direct routes to other edge cities. You have to use a loop and then work your way to the other city on the main freeway. In Dallas, there is often a direct route from suburb to suburb. This seems to put less traffic strain on the main highways. Of course 35 and 75 still get backed up but it does not seem to get backed up to the extent of some of Houston's major cross highways.

[danes75]

haha... i lived in dallas for years and those giant messes both south and west of downtown stressed me out every time I drove them! looked like a blind man layed them out.

[kjb434]

I don't think the Grand Parkway in Montgomery County will be tolled with the new Pass Through program. Of course a simple legislation could change that.