Tx Commission OKs call for concession bids on Grapevine Funnel north of DFW

Texas Transportation Commission at their monthly meeting today (Oct 25) authorized TxDOT to call for bids to enhance, operate and toll a maze of expressways around and to the north of Dallas Fort Worth Int Airport variously called DFW Connector SH114/SH121 or the Grapevine Funnel. The enhancement will be a major design-build-finance deal to rebuild and expand five close spaced expressway-to-expressway 'T' interchanges and most of the roadways in between them. Roadway widths being raised to as much as 12 general purpose lanes (G), 4 toll lanes (T), and 6 frontage road lanes (F) in places in a 3F/6G/2T/2T/6G/3F configuration for the central "Funnel" segment of SH121/141 cosigned.

In other places the frontage roads become collector-distributor roadways which have no frontage access and can operate safely at greater speed.

Exempt from moratorium

The project is one of many exempted from the state legislature's swiss cheese moratorium on concessions in the Dallas Ft Worth area.

Built on state highways it would not be threatened by bans on tolling on interstates proposed by US Sen KB 'Diddun Mean That' Hutchison, although it would have connections to toll lanes at the far western end of I-635.

Only a fraction of the project involves addition of 2+2 toll lanes and toll lane connections. The state and local governments have funds for portion of the cost available to contribute but the winning concessionaire will design-build the whole project, free and tolled elements together.

Connects to much fought over SH121

The project connects directly to the western end of the SH121 tollroad that has been the subject of such controversy and which is apparently proceeding to construction by North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) under a 50 year lease from the state.

Permitting almost done

Permitting of the Funnel is nearly complete, public consultations and design alternatives having been hashed out in the past several years.

The Grapevine Funnel is not the weird mixed metaphor outsiders might suspect. Grapevine is simply the name of the suburb immediately north of the airport where the project is located.

The road complex is said to "funnel" traffic in together and combine it in several places and the segment immediately north of the airport where SH121 and SH114 are combined for a couple of miles in an east-west connector is popularly known as The Funnel.

The present configuration of the Funnel gets notoriously congested because of lane drops and weaving maneuvers required in a stretch between two major interchanges that were designed for much lower volumes of traffic.

A handy pamphlet on the project is here ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/ftw/sh114/feb2006.pdf

The project covers some 26km (16 miles) of centerline highway. Estimated cost of the project we've seen at $800m (to check further).

TxDOT's Fort Worth district office will manage the project.

NOTE: TxDOT use the term managed lanes for toll lanes and comprehensive dveelopment agreement (CDA) for a toll concession based on a longterm lease.

TOLLROADSnews 2007-10-25