Archive for the ‘Traffic’ Category

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) is offering customers the opportunity to win a one of ten $100 gift cards for completing a customer experience survey.

NTTA customers can access the survey between Jan. 11 and 20 by visiting www.ntta.org and clicking on the link to the survey. The survey will take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.

The survey is intended to help the NTTA identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in its operations, products, and services. The NTTA will factor the results into future decisions.

The survey is being conducted by an independent third party market research firm, and identities of respondents will remain anonymous. Winners of the drawing will be notified within a week of the survey closing. For any questions or support regarding the survey, contact Tamer Partners Corporation at info@tamerpartners.com

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After much hype of the DART Green Line, the official kick-off will begin tomorrow.

The public is invited to preview the new Green Line on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities, food and entertainment are planned at the four new stations.

•Deep Ellum Station (Good-Latimer Expressway and Gaston Avenue): A celebration of Deep Ellum art, music, history and Hispanic heritage at the Latino Cultural Center.

•Baylor University Medical Center Station (Hall and Junius streets): A health fair, including free screenings and Zumba dancing.

•Fair Park Station (Parry and Exposition avenues): Four hours at Fair Park museums, the Music Hall and other attractions.

•MLK Jr. Station (J.B. Jackson Jr. Boulevard and Trunk Avenue): A community celebration for the whole family. Regular service begins Monday, when a kickoff, including coffee and donuts, will be held from 5 to 9 a.m. at the four new stations and Victory Station.

So Dallas saw a little activity yesterday with a high speed police chase that went down highways and byways, took out street signs, crashed through railroad crossings and finally culminated when the driver ran a red light and was broadsided by another car.

You can see all the action go down at these links:

Driver hits sign.
Crashing through railroad gate.
Ending crash.

Some of you may remember Cindy Sheehan from President George W. Bush’s days at the ranch in Crawford. She set up camp nearby to protest W. and all things related.

Sheehan will be in Dallas on Monday afternoon around 5p near the intersection of Preston Road and Royal Lane. In other words - if you take that route you might want to look for an alternative because she will be catering to the television cameras. Sheehan theorises that since Dallas welcomed W back with open arms, we should feel the grace of her presence. Another note is that she doesn’t like Texas heat - we’ll be at 94 around the time of the protest.

She and her entourage of protesters will be walking a mile to the gates that protect W and his neighbors from all visitors.

With the President George Bush Turnpike scheduled to become an all-electronic toll collection thoroughfare, the North Texas Tollway Authority is holding public meetings to provide the public with information about the transition.

The NTTA says the transition, which is slated for July, is part of an initiative to increase efficiency and safety on the tollways.

Meetings have been scheduled in Plano, Dallas and Irving for citizens who have questions or who desire more information.

“The conversion of the President George Bush Turnpike to an all-electronic toll collection facility is an exciting opportunity for us to better serve our customers and the region. Safety, mobility and air quality will be improved through the elimination of cash collection on the roadway,” said Rick Herrington, deputy executive director for the NTTA. “We are proud to be one of the first toll authorities in the United States to convert an existing cash collection facility to all-ETC.”

*Tolltags that are in heavy use nationwide were originally implemented for the Dallas North Tollway.

Traffic in downtown Dallas could be brought to a halt Saturday.

State officials are taking the unusual step of closing all lanes of Interstate 35E in downtown Dallas for brief periods Saturday. The rolling closures will allow crews to put bridge beams in place for the Woodall Rodgers Freeway extension, a project that includes the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. The closures will last up to 10 minutes at a time, and will take place between 6:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Traffic will be allowed to resume between the placement of each beam, officials said. But some lanes on I-35E and nearby roads will be closed throughout the morning. Two southbound lanes of I-35E, the inside lane in both directions on Woodall Rodgers at I-35E and the entrance ramp to I-35E from the southbound service road south of Continental Avenue will be closed from 6:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The state is extending Woodall Rodgers from I-35E to Beckley Avenue at Singleton Boulevard, a project that will also feature the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge over the Trinity River. The bridge and the remainder of the Woodall Rodgers extension are scheduled to open in mid-2011, though concerns about the Trinity River levees could cause delays.

The North Texas Tollway Authority says its board has chosen to name 121 after former Texas state Rep. Sam Rayburn.

With this change, the 121 Tollway will be known as “Sam Rayburn Tollway.”

Rayburn represented the 4th Congressional District, a 16-county area, in the mid-20th century. His district included large counties like Collin, Rockwall, Grayson, Fannin and Lamar.

Rayburn is a historical figure in Texas politics, having been the longest-serving speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to date. It’s a role he carried from 1940 to 1961 and was an iconic Texan known for his integrity, patriotism and fairness. During Rayburn’s time in Congress, he oversaw the passage of the creation of the Interstate Highway System.