The Sam Rayburn Tollway corridor, explained

What the road is

NTTA says the SRT opened to traffic in phases between 2008 and 2011 and gained a fourth travel lane in each direction in 2021 [S1]. NTTA's 2023 summary of that work puts the road between US 75 in McKinney and Denton Tap Road near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and says the lane expansion took crews three years [S4]. NTTA also says it paid the region $3.2 billion to build, operate and maintain the SRT and to fund non-tolled projects, including I-35 in Lewisville and US 75 in Allen and McKinney [S2].

Which covered cities it touches

NTTA's corridor brochure lists the cities the road passes through: Allen, Carrollton, Coppell, Fairview, Frisco, Lewisville, McKinney, Plano and The Colony [S5]. Six of them have city profiles here: Coppell, The Colony, Frisco, Plano, Allen and McKinney. On the computed free-flow grid, the two ends of the corridor trade places. Coppell is 15 minutes from DFW Airport and 14 from Las Colinas, but 23 from Legacy West. McKinney and Allen are 19 minutes from Legacy West, but 45 and 46 from the airport. The Colony sits in the middle, 10 minutes from both Legacy West and The Star and 29 from the airport [S6]. The grid models the fastest free-flow route over the whole road network, so it doesn't say whether a given trip uses the SRT, and peak-hour traffic isn't modeled [S6].

What it costs to drive

The TollTag is free and has no monthly fee. Accounts open with a $10, $20 or $40 prepaid balance [S3]. Drivers without one pay by mail through ZipCash at twice the TollTag rate [S3]. NTTA's posted rates change over time, so check the current toll for your own entry and exit on NTTA's site rather than an old rate card.

Choosing where along the corridor to live

The SRT question is usually which end of the road your job sits on. The verified comparisons put the corridor cities side by side on population, values, rents and the same commute grid: Coppell vs The Colony, Coppell vs Frisco, Coppell vs Plano, Allen vs Coppell, Frisco vs The Colony and McKinney vs The Colony. For the airport end, the DFW Airport page ranks every covered city by drive time. The two north-south roads the SRT crosses have their own guides: the Dallas North Tollway and US 75.

Is the Sam Rayburn Tollway the same road as SH 121?

NTTA describes the Sam Rayburn Tollway as formerly State Highway 121 [S2]. It runs 26 miles from Business 121 near the Dallas/Denton county line to US 75 in Collin County [S1].

Can I drive the SRT without a TollTag?

Yes. Without a TollTag, NTTA bills by mail through ZipCash at twice the TollTag rate. The TollTag itself is free with no monthly fee [S3].