Dallas North Tollway (Richardson, Lawn: neighborhood, construction, live)

[turnbun]

I hear that construction is going to start on the Tollway soon and will make traffic a nightmare. Is this the case? Thanks!

[GoPadge]

There's ongoing construction on most of the Tollway, and depending on the direction you're headed and the time of day, traffic is already a nightmare.

[socketz]

GoPadge is right, the construction on the Tollway seems to be a way of life here. It's ok on the weekends, but during rus hour, it's brutal.

I'm still also trying to figure out how they think they'll be completed to the 380 by September. That's not that far away and that section is no where near complete.....beyond the 380, there is another new section being planned now that will extendeven further north. Tollway construction will be a way of life for at least another 5 years or so.

[momof2dfw]

Geez I remember when the Dallas North Tollway did not go any further north than LBJ. lol Back then we just called it the tollroad as it was the only one. It was two lanes both directions from LBJ to Wycliff and the little tollbooths looked like little wooden forts. Ah, then the work to get it a little bit further north. Then when north of Belt Line it was just a road, two lanes each way. My-my, how things have changed. All of the car dealerships that used to line the road back before it was a "highway" just north of LBJ. Oh well.

[GoPadge]

Gosh. I bet you remember back when Paul McCartney was in that band before "Wings"...

[osjo73]

hey - is it really that bad? I find the traffic on the tollway the most doable than any of the others...75, 635, 35.....I worked downtown for a while and commuted from North Dallas, close to Turnpike & tollway. It was a 30 minute drive leaving downtown between 4:30 and 5:00pm.

Or are you talking about the opposite direction? Although, I am used to a bay area commute...think Fremont to san Jose...ugh....what should be a 20minute drive ends up as a 1 1/2 drive on a good day!

[GoPadge]

I did the North in the morning and South in the evening routine on the Tollway for several months. Traffic wasn't too bad other than around the major interchanges. (PGBT, 635, and 35)

[turnbun]

So, if you had your choice, which highway would you live closest to to get downtown? Let's say we choose Richardson or North Dallas and could live closer to Central or closer to the Tollway, which would you choose?

[momof2dfw]

Before 75 was reconfigured and only 2 lanes each way, really SHORT exit/entrance ramps (we used to have red/green lights at the entrances to 75 w/ the short ramps) it would have been closer to the Dallas North Tollway hands down. Now that 75 has been revamped, widened, better interchanges, better intersections w/ cross streets, etc it is really pretty easy to get to and onto along w/ a pretty good travel time. The Dallas North Tollway always used to travel at a faster pace and still does in a few spots (we used to call it the Dallas Autobahn ) but it does have its fair share of congestion now and the cross streets in the areas all North of LBJ create a lot of traffic. I've sat literally for over 20 minutes in non rush hour traffic on Frankford going east trying to get to the tollroad. Poor soul sitting at a neighborhood entrance we saw would have been better off just walking if they were headed to one of the places at the corner . Then you now have the construction at Wycliff that backs things up headed downtown. If your having to go into downtown and meet up w/ another highway then you would be better off on 75. If you work right near the end of the tollway in Dallas or live there (Uptown, Oak Lawn areas) then that would be your better option most likely. But then even getting from one to the other on 190 is not bad at times if you want the option of using both. The only backups on those interchanges (75 & 190 and DNT & 190) are only in the direction of most of the traffic during rush hour, for example trying to get off of 190 to head south in the mornings.

[940]

Mom..I remember those entrance ramps onto the old Central Expressway. There at the end, before the massive "do-over" for Central, it seemed like no one paid attention to the red light or green light entrances! You just had to "gun" it to try and merge into the heavy traffic.

I don't remember the tollroad ending at LBJ as I moved here after that, but I do remember when it stopped at Frankford Rd. You had to exit because the road played out and there was a stop sign at Frankford where you either had to go left or right...straight ahead was a barbed wire fence and empty land..and this was even as late as around '89-'90!