Citizens who travel near the proposed State Highway 161 from IH 20 in Grand Prairie to SH 183 in Irving, may notice some changes to the roadway system in the near future (view map).

The Dallas and Fort Worth region, as well as other cities across Texas, is faced with a critical funding shortage for transportation improvements. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has partnered with local officials to leverage transportation funds to meet the current and future transportation needs of its communities. To help meet critical transportation funding shortfalls, in December 2003 the Texas Transportation Commission approved a policy under House Bill 3588 (HB 3588) instructing TxDOT to evaluate all controlled-access highway projects as possible candidates for tolling. These projects would include projects that are currently under construction and those in the planning stage involving new lane construction.

Under this direction, TxDOT identified SH 161 as a toll candidate project. TxDOT is exercising the funding options identified under HB 3588 to meet the current and future transportation demands of the region. Currently, project documentation is being re-evaluated and a conceptual toll plan is being developed  and will be studied over the next several months.