The North Texas Tollway Authority Board of Directors awarded a $93 million contract last month for construction of the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge, which will connect the Dallas North Tollway in Frisco at Eldorado Parkway to IH-35E at Swisher Road in Lake Dallas providing commuters a new east-west corridor through Denton County.
The 1.7-mile bridge, scheduled to open to traffic in 2009, will provide a vital link for the 13.8-mile corridor, which is a joint project with Denton County, the NTTA, TxDOT and local municipalities. The four-lane bridge will be the only tolled portion in the corridor. It was designed by Turner Collie & Braden, Inc. and will span the northern arm of the lake.
The signature design of the bridge features a distinctive 360-foot tied-arch main span that rises over 55 feet above the water to provide clearance for sail boating. The arches slant inward as they rise 60 feet above the bridge deck, enhancing the experience of height and distance. Motorists will pass between light towers that frame the weathering steel arch which is further outlined with tubular light-emitting-diode (LED) lamps that enhance the nautical theme. This subtle lighting will make the bridge’s shape and location visible from a considerable distance at night.
The bridge construction contract was awarded to Jensen Construction Co., a Midwestern heavy and highway construction firm that specializes in large bridge projects. The total estimated cost for the bridge project includes an additional $29 million for the toll plaza and toll collection systems; design, construction management and administrative costs; and contingencies for a total of $122.2 million for all elements of the bridge project.
The entire Lewisville Lake Corridor Project, including the approaching roadways built by Denton County and TxDOT in conjunction with the municipalities of Lake Dallas, Little Elm and Frisco, is estimated to cost $211 million.
The Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge is to be constructed and operated as a part of the Dallas North Tollway System. Financing for the bridge project will come from the issuance of bonds and notes secured by the revenues of the Dallas North Tollway System and the use of surplus construction fund moneys from other projects of the System.