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Construction on briodge begins
Officials break ground on alternate route across lake
February 1, 2007
By Monty Miller, Jr. / Staff Writer, Denton Record Chronicle

LAKE DALLAS – In two years, when the Lewisville Lake toll bridge is finished, residents will be able to drive from Little Elm to Lake Dallas in about 10 minutes, instead of the 45 minutes it takes now, transportation officials said Wednesday.

They'll have a second way to get across Lewisville Lake, saving drivers hours on the road and reducing the ever-present traffic congestion in North Texas, officials said.

Dozens of elected officials from Denton and surrounding counties showed up in Lake Dallas on Wednesday to witness the groundbreaking for the next section of the Lewisville Lake toll bridge project, which is scheduled to be finished in early 2009.

When completed, the bridge will connect the Dallas North Tollway in Frisco at Eldorado Parkway to Interstate 35E at Swisher Road in Lake Dallas.

"This truly is, in my opinion, an historic moment for Denton County," said Denton County Commissioner Cynthia White, who says her top priority in the county is transportation.

The total project, including the approaching roadways and the bridge itself, is estimated to be a 13.8-mile corridor, costing $211 million. The project is a joint effort of the North Texas Tollway Authority, Denton County, the Texas Department of Transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the cities of Lake Dallas, Little Elm and Frisco.

All five Denton County commissioners attended the event, including former Commissioner Sandy Jacobs. Also present were most of the mayors and representatives from cities and towns throughout Collin, Tarrant and Dallas counties.

The bridge will have a nautical theme, a 360-foot arch and rise 55 feet above the water to provide clearance for sailboats, officials said.

"The bridge links two of the fastest-growing counties in the country – Denton and Collin," said tollway authority President Paul Wageman.

The bridge will be lighted at night and will be seen from far away, Denton County Judge Mary Horn said. She said she can't wait to see the finished project and sometimes imagines to herself what it will look like.

"We definitely have a new landmark here," Horn said. "I'm so happy for Denton County and the North Texas Tollway Authority."

The project will begin at I-35E in Lake Dallas, cross the lake in two places, stretch through Little Elm and Frisco, and connect with the Dallas North Tollway. Drivers will pay $1 to cross the toll bridge. They will only have to pay, though, if they cross the bridge; the new roadways on either side of the bridge will have no toll.

Lake Dallas City Council has prepared for the bridge by voting in December to pay for construction to widen Lakeview Drive, and connect it to Swisher Road. Swisher Road is expected to become a major east-west thoroughfare for Denton County after the toll bridge opens.

MONTY MILLER JR. can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is wmiller@dentonrc.com .
TOLL BRIDGE TIMELINE
The following timeline gives the dates for the construction of the Lewisville Lake toll bridge, past and future:

Mid-1980s: Discussion of building a toll bridge across Lewisville Lake begins.

1991: Denton County passes a $7 million bond package to help pay for the project.

Mid-1990s: Discussion begins about where the bridge should be located and which roads it should align with.

1999: North Texas Tollway Authority becomes a partner in the project. Denton County passes a bond package worth about $5 million for the project.

2002: Alignment between the bridge and its surrounding roads is finalized.

March 2006: Construction on the first section – from Interstate 35E to the lake – begins.

June 2007: Construction on Swisher Road, leading from I-35E to the lake, is scheduled to be complete.

Early 2009: The bridge is scheduled to open.

SOURCE: Denton County