north texas tollway authority

Two major personalities have recently departed North Texas Tollway Authority without there being any announcement. The quiet departees are:

- Rick Herrington, former #2 and deputy executive director

- Susan Buse, former chief financial officer

A finance committee at North Texas Tollway (NTTA) voted today 4 to 1 for a 32% hike in toll rates, presently averaging 11c/mile (6.8c/km) to go to 14.5c/mile (9c/km) on Sept 1. The full NTTA  board will consider the proposal at their regular meeting July 16.

North Texas Tollway Authority's board has appointed Allen Clemson their new executive director, effective June 1. Clemson, 60, is completely new to the toll industry. His most recent job was special assistant to the vice chancellor of University of North Texas (UNT) Dallas Campus where his bio describes him as overseeing administration and finance.

The board of directors of North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) have approved a public-public toll concession contract for construction and operation of TX161 midway between Dallas and Ft Worth. NTTA will pay TxDOT $458m upfront payment, which covers reimbursement to TxDOT for money spent on civil works on Phases 2 and 3. NTTA will pay for construction of Phase 4 and install toll collection equipment on Phases 2 and 3. (Phase 1 is free frontage roads already open.)

North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) have announced that they've succeeded in the completing the longterm financing of the $3.2b concession fee they paid Texas Department of Transportation for the 50 year right to toll the 28 mile (45km) section of SH121 north of Dallas now known as 121 Tollway. To make the $3,200m upfront payment to the state on the toll concession last November NTTA issued a set of short term bond anticipation notes (BANs) which are now expiring.

North Texas Tollway Authority's (NTTA) board has approved a staff proposal that they raise posted speed limits at all their mainline toll plazas to full highway speeds - granting full recognition to open road tolling. At present posted speeds from half a mile (0.8km) before the mainline toll plazas are 45mph (72km/hr) except for one plaza (DNT MLP2) where the post is 40mph (64km/hr).

Several miles of the southern end of the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) will be closed this weekend starting just before midnight Saturday night through all of Sunday and until 5am Monday morning. Contractors for the North Texas Tollway Authority will swing in beams for a new longer Cedar Springs Road Bridge they are building just north of the Wycliff Toll Plaza (#1).