The Dallas North Tollway corridor, explained
The Dallas North Tollway is the 33-mile tolled spine tying Plano, Frisco, and Prosper to downtown Dallas [S1] — and how you pay matters: drivers without a TollTag are billed by mail at twice the TollTag rate [S2].
What it connects
NTTA's 33-mile road crosses the cities of Dallas, Highland Park, University Park, Addison, Farmers Branch, Plano, Frisco and Prosper, running from downtown Dallas to W. First Street in Prosper [S1]. Three of the covered cities sit directly on it, and two tracked employment centers anchor it: Legacy West at the tollway in West Plano, and The Star corridor in Frisco. On the computed free-flow grid, Frisco is 8 minutes from Legacy West and 11 from The Star; Prosper runs 17 minutes to Legacy West; Plano reaches downtown Dallas in 23 [S4].
What it costs to drive
The TollTag itself is free with no monthly fee — accounts open with a $10, $20, or $40 prepaid balance [S2]. Without one, the road photographs your plate and bills you by mail (ZipCash) at twice the TollTag rate [S2] — for a daily DNT commuter, the difference compounds fast.
Where it's headed
NTTA's proposed Phase 4 extension runs nearly 14 miles from US 380 to the Collin/Grayson county line [S1]. Its first segment — approximately six miles from US 380 to FM 428 through Prosper and Celina, with three main lanes in each direction — is planned to open to traffic by the end of 2027, weather permitting [S3]. For Celina, today the farthest-out covered city on this corridor (27 free-flow minutes to Legacy West [S4]), that is the tollway coming to it.
Sources
- NTTA — Dallas North Tollway (DNT) (retrieved 2026-08-23)
- NTTA — Get a TollTag (retrieved 2026-08-23)
- NTTA — DNT Extension Contracts (news release) (retrieved 2026-08-23)
- Where In DFW — computed commute grid (OSRM v5 free-flow, computed 2026-08-09) (retrieved 2026-08-23)
Sources: 4 cited above
Do the commute minutes on this site include toll roads?
Yes — the computed grid models free-flow driving over the full road network, tolled segments included. It reflects time, not toll cost, and peak-period congestion is not modeled [S4].
Related
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