Dallas/Fort Worth Toll Plan Randy Jennings Founder, Stop121Tolls.Com

DFW Primer The state recognized MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) is NCTCOG (North Central Texas Council of Governments). It’s transportation policy body is called the RTC (Regional Transportation Council). The RTC has 40 members. The Transportation Department at NCTCOG has 73 employees.

RTC Makeup 31 are county or city elected officials. Some cities have to share reps. Dallas has 6 reps, 2 of which are citizen appointees. Fort Worth has 2 reps. No other city has more than 1 rep. 2 reps are TXDOT employees. DFW Airport, Fort Worth Transit Authority, DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit), Denton Transit Authority, and NTTA (North Texas Tollway Authority) all have 1 rep.

History of Toll Roads in DFW 1957 – Texas Turnpike Authority opened the DFW Turnpike – TTA opens first part of Dallas North Tollway. 1977/78 – DFW Turnpike bonds paid off 17 years early. The highway was transferred to TXDOT, was renamed I- 30, and became a free highway – TollTag® system introduced on the DNT – NTTA takes over DFW toll roads. NTTA is a political subdivision of the State of Texas under Chapter 366 of the Transportation Code – NTTA opens first part of George Bush Turnpike, a road that once was intended to be SH 190.

The Plan: Free Highways I-30 Widening $ M – Tax $ M – Unfunded 183 Widening $ 256 M – Tax $ 445 M – Unfunded I-30/LP 12 $ 33 M – Tax $ 150 M – Toll Bond LP 12 / 183 & LP 12/ 114 $ 269 M – Tax $ 40 M- DART I-635: US 80 to I-30 $ 30 M – Tax I-35E / I-635 Unknown Cost I-35E Widening $ 98 M – Tax $ 200 M – Toll Bond Some lanes will be managed 121 $ 7.7 M - Tax

The Plan: Managed (Toll) Lanes I-35W $ M – Tax $ 51 M – Unfunded I-820/121/183 $ 300 M – Tax $ 205 M – Toll Bond Some lanes on I-820 free I-635 $ 420 M – Tax $ 300 M – Toll Bond Tax Includes $70 M DART/Dallas Cost includes free interchange at I-35E 121/114 Funnel $ M – Tax Some lanes may be free

The Plan: Toll Roads 121 Southwest Prky $ M – Tax $ 257 M – Toll Bond 161 $ M – Tax $ 250 M – Toll Bond Pres. George Bush Turnpike $ 203 M – Tax $ 200 M – NTTA Toll Bond $ 39 M - Unfunded Trinity Parkway $ 480 M – Tax $ 150 M – NTTA Toll Bond $ 20 M - Unfunded 121 (Denton County) $ M – Tax $ 30 M – Toll Bond This road is all ready paid for And under construction now!

The Plan: Unknowns 360 $ 21.2 M – Tax Study under way to convert to toll 121 Main lanes not in plan. Some want to toll to pay for: Itself US 75 widening thru McKinney More near-neighbor projects McKinney Airport roadway relocation

The Plan: Everything Else Frontage Roads –$ 62 M Tax Love Field Rail Connection –$ 140 M – Tax, $ 20 M - Unfunded DFW Airport Rail Connection –$ 60 M - Tax Near Neighbor Projects (Secondary Street Bribes) –SH 161T: $ 39.3 M – Tax –SH 121T: $ 70.3 M – Tax, $ 118M – Toll Bond

The Plan: Collecting The Tolls NTTA will be hired to collect tolls All TXDOT toll/managed projects require a TollTag® Toll Rates –Current NTTA: ~10 cents/mile –Proposed TXDOT: 15 cents/mile –Proposed TXDOT increases: 25% every 10 years

The Plan: Big Picture

The Plan: $ Big Picture Toll project funding –$ 2.9 B tax dollars (67%) –$ 1.4 B toll bond dollars (33%) $ 168 M toll bond dollars not used for toll projects $ M in bribes to cities –not counting highway projects Cost of driving SH 121 –DNT to DFW Airport $ One Way $ 1, round trips a week for a year –US 75 to DFW Airport $ One Way $2, round trips a week per a year

SH 121 Denton County Currently under construction and fully funded (using taxes) as a free freeway Tolling it will delay the opening No toll bond money/revenue will go towards SH 121 (except toll collection costs) Turns some cities into toll islands Cities where told it would be tolled anyway, so why not support it and get some bribe projects Most SH 121 drivers will never use the roads their tolls are paying for Makes you pay 3 times for the same road (gas tax x 2 + toll)

Plan Approval Timeline Jan 2004 –RTC approves funding for SH 121, votes to keep it free. Aug 2004 –RTC wants to toll SH 121. Public comment starts. 2 meetings held (neither advertise toll conversion). In less than 1 week Lewisville and Carrolton support tolls without public hearing. RTC approves plan without projects the same week as first public meeting. Construction starts on SH 121 mail lanes. Sept 2004 –RTC votes to toll part of SH 121 despite 530 comments against and 16 for. Second part delayed to allow for support from other cities. The Colony supports plan without public hearing and after a 2 hour closed door session. Oct 2004 –Frisco holds public hearing. Plano supports, but gets no bribe money. Frisco then votes to support. Denton County supports. RTC approves tolling the rest of SH 121 in Denton County.

Lies Being Told “We have a funding crisis.” –Asking Congress for funding for 3 signature bridges over Trinity –Funded questionable need projects first “The gas tax is going away.” “It will be 30 years before you get that road built.” “You can’t stop this, it will be done anyway.” “You are willing to give up millions in funding so you can save 15 cents?” “The service road will be a free convenient alternative.”

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