An alliance of North Texas business and community leaders is calling for needed capacity improvements to the North Tarrant Express (NTE) Midtown portion of the SH 183 corridor. The segment serves as a primary artery to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, downtown Fort Worth and cities across the region, making it a vital connector for commuters, commerce and cargo.
As an unimproved segment of the NTE, this roadway is considered one of the most congested in the state. With existing traffic and safety concerns, coupled with the newly announced expansion of the DFW Airport, improving the segment is now critical.
That’s why the North Texas Commission, along with other business organizations, chambers of commerce, elected officials, community leaders, transportation planners and the DFW Airport are asking for needed capacity improvements to the highway — at no cost to Texas taxpayers.
“We know full well the far-reaching benefits of the innovative North Tarrant Express to the region’s economy and drivers alike,” said Chris Wallace, president and CEO of the North Texas Commission. “Just this past week, we witnessed an additional benefit with the opening of NTE’s Segment 3C, which was built with no public funds. That modernized connector between downtown Fort Worth and the Alliance Airport will continue to improve reliable mobility and safety in that key corridor, while also providing more choices in travel. And it opened months ahead of schedule.”
“Now it’s time to improve the NTE Midtown portion of the SH 183 corridor to improve regional mobility to the DFW Airport,” Wallace said.
The cost to improve this segment of SH 183 would be paid by the North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners (NTEMP) as part of its public-private partnership agreement with the state. NTEMP financed, designed, and built the NTE corridor between I-35W and Euless on behalf of the state and now operates and maintains it. NTE opened to traffic in 2014, and has seen tremendous demand since then, supporting more than half a million trips daily.
Importantly, improvement of this SH 183 segment would address dangerous traffic bottlenecks and related unsafe driving conditions that will worsen unless this project moves forward, Wallace said. The roadway was listed among the most congested highways in Texas, according to Texas A&M University’s Transportation Institute.
“The North Tarrant Express is a critical roadway for Metroplex drivers and our economy, so much so that the NTE has seen tremendous demand as our region’s population boom continues,” Rick Stopfer, mayor of Irving said. “Unless this segment is improved as part of a broader strategy for the NTE, local drivers in the cities of Hurst, Bedford, Euless and Irving will be burdened with growing congestion, unsafe conditions and delays at a crucial section of this transportation network. The bottleneck that forms on the east end of this project at the 183-and-Belt Line intersection can be alleviated at no construction cost to taxpayers, and mobility to the DFW Airport vastly improved.”
With this segment of SH 183 serving the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s south entrance, improving the roadway is all the more vital given the major expansion planned for the airport, soon to be the world’s busiest.
The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and the North Tarrant Express go hand-in-hand in moving people and products around the Metroplex and across the state. Improvement of this segment of SH 183 is needed to ensure the efficient movement of travelers and consumer goods in and out of the DFW Airport. This project is vital to alleviate congestion and to position the Metroplex for continued economic growth.
Added Wallace: “Let’s continue to leverage the public-private partnership that brought us the NTE by improving this segment of SH 183 at no construction cost to Texas taxpayers, and faster than is possible with traditional funding. Thanks to this public-private partnership, none of the NTE enhancements will cost local or state taxpayers any funds.”
What’s more, the NTE and the Greater DFW managed lane network have delivered billions of dollars in economic impact to the region, while providing thousands of regional contractor and vendor firms with work. Improvement of this segment of SH 183 would create hundreds of new local jobs and bring additional investments to the region.
Businesses and communities across North Texas depend on the NTE, just as they also depend on other managed lane systems that helped land five Metroplex cities in the Top 50 best cities to drive in, according to a study by WalletHub.
Improving this SH 183 segment enjoys strong, broad-based support, including from:
Supporting Mayors:
- Mayor Michael Boyter, City of Bedford
- Mayor Bob Dubey, City of Richardson
- Mayor Clyde C. Hairston, City of Lancaster
- Mayor Jim Jarratt, City of Granbury
- Mayor Linda Martin, City of Euless
- Mayor Wes Mays, City of Coppell
- Mayor Jim Ross, City of Arlington
- Mayor Rick Stopfer, City of Irving
- Mayor Jeannette Tiffany, Town of Trophy Club
- Mayor Oscar Trevino, City of North Richland Hills
- Mayor Henry Wilson, City of Hurst
Supporting Organizations:
- Allen Fairview Chamber of Commerce
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
- Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
- Frisco Chamber of Commerce
- Garland Chamber of Commerce
- Grapevine Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
- Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce
- Invest Texas Council
- Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- North Dallas Chamber of Commerce
- North Texas Commission
- Richardson Chamber of Commerce
- Rowlett Chamber of Commerce
- Texas Association of Businesses
