The Texas Department of Public Safety will stop patrolling North Texas toll roads after deciding not to renew its law enforcement contract with the North Texas Tollway Authority, which expires later this year.
Contract Expiration and Its Impact
According to DPS and NTTA, the Interlocal Cooperation Contract is set to expire on August 31. DPS notified the tollway authority that it would not extend the agreement, citing changing statewide operational demands and a need for greater flexibility in deploying personnel.
DPS Director Col. Freeman Martin said the department must be able to move resources where they are needed most. “DPS must maintain full flexibility to deploy personnel and resources in response to an ever-changing threat environment and to meet our duty to serve and protect all Texans,” Martin wrote.
The change will affect several major North Texas toll roads, including the Dallas North Tollway, Chisholm Trail Parkway and the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge, among other NTTA-operated corridors that carry thousands of drivers daily.
Despite ending the contract, DPS said motorists should not experience service interruptions. Troopers will continue handling traffic enforcement and crash investigations on NTTA roads at no cost until replacement agreements are secured with other law enforcement agencies.
Transition and Replacement Agreements
Agency officials said DPS leadership is already coordinating with local police departments and other law enforcement agencies whose jurisdictions border the tollway system to assume patrol responsibilities after the contract ends.
NTTA confirmed it was informed that DPS no longer believes the service-for-fees arrangement aligns with the department’s statewide mission. “NTTA will work to ensure a smooth transition in the interim,” the authority said in a statement.
DPS also confirmed that troopers currently assigned to tollway patrol duties will be reassigned to other posts across the state.
Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.
