About to blow my top commuting on DNT!!! (Dallas, Plano: home, construction)

[BLDSoon]

I make the unfourtunate drive from Plano to dallas and back at least two times a day. My issue is with the southbound commute.

I used to commute on a different tollway( 121 going south) so this is my first year doing the DNT weekday morning/ rush hour commute. I have tried leaving earlier, later, right on time, five minutes more or less and no matter what i do, i'm stuck driving at 15 mph or less, all the the way down that miserably narrow tollway all the way to dallas/635. What should be a 15-20 minute drive on a normal day takes about 40 minutes to more than an hour southbound depending on whether someone forgot to air up their tires and gets stuck on the side or not. The fact that i'm paying for this torture makes it intolerable. The service roads are a mess in addison and havent saved me any time or aggravation. I sometimes use Preston and it at least it moves faster but for some reason takes longer. Maybe its all the stopping on days when i seem to have a succession of red lights.

I have a new understanding of the term 'soul crushing commute'. I used to think 121 could be rough but i'm finding this worse. This is like 35 without the available exits and alternates.

Does anyone have an alternative route to get to the hillcrest/university park area besides the DNT or Preston routes? Back roads, anything? If i'm stuck with Preston or the tollway then i'm stuck. I'd just like to know if i'm alone in my frustration and if alternates exist that i havent considered.

I'm afraid that one of these mornings i will finally blow my top a la Micheal Douglas in Falling Down and take a bat to my own car.....Then walk back home and never drive again.

[rantanamo]

why aren't you just taking Hillcrest all the way?

[whj3773]

the fact that your paying a lot for that commute makes that soooooo much worse

[DallasG]

People try to use Preston and Midway as alternative to save toll and end up clogging those as well. I was reading in another forum and it seems that people from Propsper,McKinney, Allen, Frisco etc are all hoping on these roads to save toll so no wonder they are as clogged up as DNT.

If toll or time are of importance then you may have to move closer to your work. DNT is adding a new lane but there is just too much traffic and eventually we'll have to come up with a better public transport option to absorb the need. Other highways/tollways aren't doing any better.

[pepper131]

Taking Hillcrest is usually good. It flows better than Preston. I'm not sure where you would cut over from (how far north your commute begins?), but I have found Spring Valley to be a good east/west connector; it flows fairly well too.

[BLDSoon]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

why aren't you just taking Hillcrest all the way?

Didn't know i could do that from Plano. I'll investigate that, thanks!

[Aceraceae]

Originally Posted by BLDSoon

Didn't know i could do that from Plano. I'll investigate that, thanks!

It's Ohio in Plano.

[BLDSoon]

Originally Posted by DallasG

People try to use Preston and Midway as alternative to save toll and end up clogging those as well. I was reading in another forum and it seems that people from Propsper,McKinney, Allen, Frisco etc are all hoping on these roads to save toll so no wonder they are as clogged up as DNT.

If toll or time are of importance then you may have to move closer to your work. DNT is adding a new lane but there is just too much traffic and eventually we'll have to come up with a better public transport option to absorb the need. Other highways/tollways aren't doing any better.

Yeah the tolls are a fact of life for me. Closet highways to me are DNT,121, and GBT. I try to avoid paying them whenever i can but i still end up on one toll way or another at least twice a day. I had no idea DNT was that terrible in the mornings though. I may have to rethink some things because i dont think my current commute will work for me long term. I have had (much) longer commutes before but the level of congestion that early in the day is new to me. It makes paying toll unbearable. I see no benefit.

Im looking into hillcrest as an alternative.

[DallasG]

Originally Posted by BLDSoon

Yeah the tolls are a fact of life for me. Closet highways to me are DNT,121, and GBT. I try to avoid paying them whenever i can but i still end up on one toll way or another at least twice a day. I had no idea DNT was that terrible in the mornings though. I may have to rethink some things because i dont think my current commute will work for me long term. I have had (much) longer commutes before but the level of congestion that early in the day is new to me. It makes paying toll unbearable. I see no benefit.

Im looking into hillcrest as an alternative.

That may be your best option until construction ends on DNT.

[BLDSoon]

Originally Posted by Aceraceae

It's Ohio in Plano.

Thank you so very much.