‘Roads will be dangerous’: TEXPress toll lanes will close during winter storm
TEXPress toll lanes in North Texas will close starting Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.
A social media post on the toll road’s X account shared the update Thursday afternoon. The decision was made in coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation, according to the post.
“We will continue to monitor weather conditions as the winter storm moves through North Texas, and implement our winter maintenance operations towards safely re-opening the roadways,” the post reads.
The closure announcement comes after officials said earlier in the day that they are taking steps to prepare North Texas’ roads, including toll lanes, as ice and snow is expected to sweep the region Friday and Saturday.
“Roads will be dangerous,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams, speaking about travel across the state during a Thursday news conference in Austin.
On Friday, a spokesperson for NTTA said its toll roads have been treated with brine over the past two days, and that crews are on 12-hour shifts beginning at noon on Friday.
“As freezing precipitation arrives, our crews will be working across our system to spread de-icer salts and plow if necessary,” Spokesperson Michael Rey said in an email.
Traffic updates for NTTA roads are available online at ntta.org/traffic-update-map.
Preparing North Texas roads for ice, possible toll closures
State officials and North Tarrant Express, which manages toll roads in the Fort Worth area, say they have been treating roadways for ice.
Williams joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials at a Thursday news conference to update the public on steps the state is taking to prepare for the storm. Much of the state is expected to be affected by the winter weather.
“The DFW area has been a very significant area of focus for not only the Texas Department of Public Transportation, but also all of the local agencies and some of the toll road operators that also maintain roadways,” Williams said. “So very importantly, we coordinate within those agencies and collaborate on the process for treating those roads.”
Roadways have been treated with a brine solution made of salt and water. When ice or snow accumulate, the mixture helps to speed up the melting process, Williams said.
North Tarrant Express’ road crews are finishing up brining cycles on its roadways Thursday morning, spokesperson Robert Hinkle said in a Thursday morning email.
“We will then switch the trucks to salt and begin patrolling and treating Friday morning,” Hinkle said.
Williams cautioned drivers that brining roads does not prevent all ice, describing it as a “preventative measure, not a prohibitive measure.”
He urged drivers to pay attention to variable speed limits, which can be dropped to adjust for hazardous road conditions. Williams also said road closures are expected.
“For a lot of the roads in the DFW area, especially some of the toll roads or some of the contraflow lanes, one of the things that we often do and anticipate doing is, we will shut those down during these events,” Williams said. “Because, quite frankly, without as many people being on the roads, those aren’t as needed.”
The safest option is to avoid driving altogether, Williams said.
“Any amount of ice is a dangerous amount of ice,” he said. “Any amount of frozen participation on our roads is a dangerous amount of frozen participation, even with our efforts to pretreat roads and be prepared to help respond in those instances.”
Willams urged those who must drive to slow down, increase space between vehicles, break slowly and to be aware of falling limbs and power lines. Vehicles should be stocked with fuel, food, water and blankets, in case of long delays due to road closure, he said. Drivers should also be mindful of crews working on roads.
Updates on road closures in Texas
Drivetexas.org provides updates on closures, accidents and construction on roads in Texas.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 1:19 PM.
