By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-852041.mp3
Dallas, TX –
This weekend, traffic will begin rolling over the new Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge. KERA's BJ Austin says dedication ceremonies for the long-awaited bridge are first, then a 5-K run then traffic.
There use to be a bridge that connected east and west Denton County -- Little Elm and Lake Dallas - but it was torn down in the 1950's when the Army Corps of Engineers expanded the lake. Since then travelers have often had to take circuitous, lengthy routes around the lake to get to their destinations. Denton County Judge Mary Horn says the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge will change that as part of a 13 mile "corridor" that will connect the Dallas North Tollway and I-35.
Horn: We worked on the roads on both sides of the bridge first, so that when the bridge is done, the roadway capacity was available to handle the additional traffic. It's also going to be a huge boon to economic development in the Lake Cities area and on the other side of the bridge, Little Elm.
The bridge has a 360 foot arch near the center that allows sailboats to easily pass. It opens to traffic Saturday afternoon, following a "Run the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge 5-K that morning. Tolls are all electronic: one dollar for toll tags; dollar-fifty for Zip cash drivers.