Plan Your Trip

Tolls repay the debt we incurred to build and maintain our roads and safety programs like our 24/7 roadside assistance. Tolls also fund road expansions and improvements to accommodate continuing traffic growth. Toll roads help North Texas bridge the funding gap between transportation needs and available tax resources – gas taxes that typically fund government road construction do not fund NTTA roads. In addition to maintaining its own toll system, NTTA has also helped fund non-tolled projects in North Texas.  NTTA paid the region $3.2 billion to construct, operate and maintain the Sam Rayburn Tollway (formerly State Highway 121) and to fund non-tolled municipal and county transportation projects, including I-35 in Lewisville and U.S. 75 in Allen and McKinney.

During NTTA’s annual budget approval process, our Board of Directors reviews our financial obligations and anticipated revenue from tolls. To fund our operations and repay our $9.5 billion in debt, the Board has established a schedule of modest toll rate increases to take effect on July 1 in odd-numbered years. The Board reviews the toll rate schedule and determines if biennial increases should continue during the annual budget process.

NTTA’s toll roads do not use a controlled access system, which would require you to stop to receive a ticket as you enter and exit our roads. Instead, we use an equitable system that calculates tolls for entry and exit points based on typical traffic patterns. The resulting tolls for each tolling point are closely aligned to the number of miles you drive on our roads.

There is a gap between available tax-supported funding and the need for roads in North Texas communities, which are experiencing explosive growth. NTTA does not receive tax dollars or funding from the Legislature.  Tolls provide an alternative funding source for building and maintaining roads. North Texans benefit from these roads through better access to the places they live, work, shop and play. In turn, businesses and communities near our roads grow and thrive. Recent economic development along our toll roads includes Toyota’s North American headquarters, Liberty Mutual, the Dallas Cowboys headquarters and the new headquarters of State Farm and Raytheon. Several major corridors in DFW, including the Chisholm Trail Parkway in Tarrant and Johnson counties and the 360 Tollway, a southern extension of State Highway 360, were on planning maps for decades and only came to fruition because of toll funding. With you in mind, NTTA will reinvest nearly $1 billion over the next decade to widen and improve our roads in the region.

Gas taxes, vehicle registration fees and other taxes support roads built by the state, not NTTA. NTTA’s roads are funded through the sale of bonds that we repay with tolls collected from drivers who use our roads.

Toll rates adjust every other year at 2.75%, compounded in odd-numbered years. This regularly scheduled increase provides predictable, incremental increases and ensures adequate funding for NTTA’s capital plan and the repayment of bonds used for the construction, maintenance and operations of our roads. During our annual budget approval process, NTTA’s Board of Directors reviews our financial obligations and the need for a toll rate increase.

Toll rate increases are for all NTTA roads.

NTTA does not own, operate, maintain or set toll rates on TEXpress Lanes. North Texas TEXpress Lanes are owned and operated either by TxDOT or a private developer. More information about rates on TEXpress Lanes is available at TEXpressLanes.com.

For our customers, it means that NTTA can reinvest in its network of roads and provide services, including regular maintenance and added capacity to help alleviate congestion and free roadside assistance. Examples of adding capacity to our roads include building a fourth lane in both directions on the President George Bush Turnpike, parts of the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SRT).  NTTA has recently begun construction of fourth lanes on the DNT from the SRT to US 380. These advancements and services mean a safer and more reliable commute for you. NTTA does not receive federal or state funding to repay our $9.5 billion in outstanding debt for building our existing roads. Construction of our toll roads are funded through the sale of bonds, which are repaid by collecting tolls from drivers who use our toll roads.  

Thanks to the generosity of a third-party sponsor, NTTA offers free passage on our toll roads to Legion of Valor recipients. The Legion of Valor includes recipients of the military’s highest honors, including the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross and Air Force Cross. 

No funds have been appropriated by the state for a broader veterans’ toll discount program, including disabled veterans.  NTTA continues to seek a sponsor for free passage on our roads for disabled veterans. Any company interested in sponsoring disabled veterans’ tolls, please contact us at talktontta@ntta.org

NTTA does not receive any federal or state funding to offset free passage on our roads or to fund NTTA operations.