Texas State Highway 121

State Highway 121 (SH 121) is a state highway angling from southwest to northeast through north central Texas. It runs from downtown Fort Worth, Texas at the junction of Interstate 35W to Bonham, Texas, just north of a junction with U.S. Highway 82.

State Highway 121
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length	85.563 mi[1] (137.700 km)
Existed	by 1939–present
Major junctions
Southwest end	I-35W / US 287 / US 377 / Spur 347 in Fort Worth
	I-820 from Richland Hills to North Richland Hills I-635 in Grapevine I-35E / US 77 in Lewisville Dallas North Tollway in Plano US 75 from McKinney to Melissa US 69 in Trenton US 82 in Bonham
Northeast end	SH 78 in Bonham
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate U.S. State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec ← SH 120 → SH 122

Between Fort Worth and Euless, SH 121 is known as Airport Freeway (east of Euless, this name applies to SH 183). East of Coppell, the highway functions as the frontage road for the Sam Rayburn Tollway, a toll road that runs northeast to McKinney. From McKinney to Melissa, the state highway is concurrent with US 75 and the North Central Expressway. Northeast of Melissa, SH 121 is a less-traveled roadway often referred to as the Sam Rayburn Highway.

Route description

SH 121 Business west from I-35E towards Grapevine

Sections between downtown Fort Worth and Grapevine are freeway, including a small segment near Hurst that coincides with Interstate 820. At Bedford, Texas it has an interchange with SH 183, the Irving freeway that leads toward Dallas; it has an interchange with SH 360, which leads toward Arlington, just to the west of the north entrance to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, to which State Highway 121 gives access. At Grapevine it has interchanges with SH 114 and Interstate 635 before becoming a limited-access tollway that passes between Lewisville and Frisco.

Signage originally used on the tolled mainlanes of SH 121 (now the Sam Rayburn Tollway) from 2006 to 2009.

It is very heavily traveled south and west of McKinney and has become an urban highway due to the rapid growth of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Service roads extending southwest to northeast along the corridor from Lewisville to McKinney are free of charge; however the main lanes within the right-of-way are tolled as part of the Sam Rayburn Tollway operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA). The highway's northeastern section between Melissa and Bonham carries less traffic and until recently was a two-lane rural highway. However, in recent years with an increase in traffic, the 19 mile section between the Collin-Fannin County line and its junction with SH 56 in Bonham has been upgraded to a "Super Two" highway system. This allows for alternating passing lanes. Beginning in 2016, the segment between Melissa and the Collin-Fannin County line is being upgraded to a four-lane divided highway system. In addition, a two mile stretch between SH 56 and US 82 within Bonham city limits, was upgraded to a four-lane highway system with a continuous left-hand turn lane. Long term planning calls for upgrading the 19 mile stretch, from the Collin-Fannin County line to SH 56 in Bonham, into a four-lane divided highway system.

It meets Interstate 35E at Lewisville, SH 289 near Frisco, US 75 and US 380 in McKinney, US 69 at Trenton, and SH 78 just north of Bonham.

Construction began in 2009 on the extension of 121 south from Fort Worth to Cleburne, as a toll road called Chisholm Trail Parkway in Tarrant and Johnson Counties. This section is operated by the NTTA and the entire project, from IH 30 to U.S. 67 opened to traffic in 2013.[2]

In March 2009, work was completed on the eventual southbound lanes on a short stretch of 121 northeast of DFW Airport, which currently shares southbound and northbound traffic. This work upgraded two signalized at-grade intersections to a freeway, with overpasses at both intersections, improving traffic in that area.[3] The northbound freeway lanes are currently under construction, which also include new, separate exits and entrances for Freeport Parkway and Grapevine Mills Boulevard/Sandy Lake Road.

Interchange between SH 121 and SH 121 Business Route

Sam Rayburn Tollway

From McKinney to Coppell, State Highway 121 acts as a frontage road to Sam Rayburn Tollway, contrary to the popular misconception that the Sam Rayburn Tollway was the new SH 121.

Controversy

In early 2007, the Spanish firm Cintra agreed to a $2.8 billion, 50-year deal where they would lease the highway from TxDOT, finish building and maintain it, and collect the tolls.[4] However, critics of the deal questioned both its length—the contract allowed Cintra to collect tolls for 50 years—and the fact that the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) was prevented from bidding on the contract. In addition, general opposition to the toll plan organized, pointing out that the segment through Denton County had already been paid for by taxpayer money.[5]

To answer some of these complaints, Texas legislators pressed the Texas Department of Transportation to allow the NTTA to bid.[6] The Authority announced their proposed bid in early May 2007, which would provide approximately $3.3 billion in road funding, but is based on traffic counts that differ from those used by Cintra.[7]

On June 28, 2007, the Texas Transportation Commission announced it would pursue the proposal from the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA).[8]

Route history

SH 121 was originally numbered on March 17, 1927 as a direct routing between Fort Worth and SH 40 near the Dallas-Denton County line.[9] On April 24, 1928, it extended to McKinney.[10] By 1933, the route had been completed from Ft. Worth northeast through Grapevine to its intersection with SH 40/U.S. Route 77 in far southern Denton County. On July 15, 1935, the east end was truncated to the Denton-Dallas county line.[11] On January 6, 1939, the section from the Dallas-Denton County line to SH 40/US 77 was restored.[12] A road was designated on February 21, 1938, from SH 114 to SH 121; either SH 114 Loop or SH 121 Loop. This was renumbered as Loop 10 on September 26, 1939.[13]

On November 24, 1941, SH 121 was extended from old US 77 to new US 77. On December 16, 1943, the section of SH 121 from US 77 (former SH 40) to McKinney was restored, and the ambitious plan to extend SH 121 northeast beyond McKinney to Bonham was approved by TxDOT, a part of which absorbed Farm to Market Road 82 between Bonham and Trenton. The section from Bonham to Randolph was designated as SH 263 until March 21, 1939. But it wasn't until 1954 that the next section of this highway was completed between U.S. 77 at Lewisville and U.S. Route 75 near McKinney. The final section between McKinney and Trenton was not completed until November 20, 1963, including an extension around the western side of Bonham. In 1965, the section from downtown Fort Worth to Interstate 820 was transferred to newly completed freeway sections. On November 31, 1969, SH 121 was rerouted over Spur 459, which was cancelled. The old route of SH 121 was given to the city of Grapevine.

TxDOT proposed extending SH 121 to FM 1187, via a route to be known as the Northside–Southwest Freeway, on October 4, 1973.[14] This proposed extension was canceled on August 29, 1985.[15]

On April 14, 1980, SH 121 was relocated in Bedford and Grapevine. On November 18, 1999, SH 121 was rerouted over Spur 553, which was cancelled. The old route of SH 121 became Business SH 121. On February 27, 2003, SH 121 was extended to US 67 in Cleburne.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[16]	km	Destinations	Notes
Tarrant	Fort Worth	0.0	0.0	I-35W / US 287 / US 377 south – Waco, Denton Spur 347 west (Belknap Street) – Downtown Fort Worth	I-35W exit 52B, access to Fort Worth Central Station
		0.8	1.3	Sylvania Avenue
		1.2	1.9	Riverside Drive
		2.1	3.4	Beach Street
		2.7	4.3	Maxine Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Haltom City	3.1	5.0	Haltom Road
		4.2	6.8	Carson Street
		4.9	7.9	Minnis Drive
	Richland Hills	6.4	10.3	Handley-Ederville Road	Access to Richland Hills Station
	Hurst	7.3	11.7	I-820 south	south end of I-820 overlap; SH 121 south follows exit 24B
				SH 10 east / SH 183 west – Richland Hills	south end of SH 183 overlap; I-820 exit 24A
		8.4	13.5	Pipeline Road / Glenview Drive	I-820 exit 23, access to North Hills Hospital
				SH 121 Express north / SH 183 Express east to FM 157	northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-820 exit 23A
		8.5	13.7	SH 26 / FM 1938 north (Davis Boulevard) / Bedford-Euless Road – Colleyville, TCC Northeast Campus	I-820 exit 22B
		8.9	14.3	I-820 west	north end of I-820 overlap; SH 121 north follows exit 22A
		10.1	16.3	FM 3029 north (Precinct Line Road) / Hurstview Drive
	Hurst–Bedford line	11.5	18.5	Norwood Drive / Brown Trail
	Bedford	12.5	20.1	Bedford Road / Forest Ridge Drive
		13.0	20.9	Central Drive / Forest Ridge Drive	Access to Texas Health HEB
		13.6	21.9	SH 183 east – DFW Airport South Entry, Irving	north end of SH 183 overlap; no direct southbound exit (signed at Murphy Drive)
		14.0	22.5	Westpark Way / Murphy Drive
		15.0	24.1	Harwood Road
				SH 121 Express south / SH 183 Express west to I-820	southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Bedford–Euless line	16.7	26.9	FM 157 south / Cheek-Sparger Road
	Euless–Grapevine line	17.2	27.7	Glade Road
	Grapevine	18.1	29.1	Hall-Johnson Road
		18.7	30.1	To SH 360 / Stone Myers Parkway	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		19.3	31.1	SH 360 south – Arlington	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		20.8	33.5	SH 114 west (SH 26 south) to FM 1709 / William D. Tate Avenue – Bridgeport	south end of SH 114 overlap
		21.9	35.2	SH 26 north / Bus. SH 114 west (Texan Trail) / Main Street – Grapevine Historic District	no northbound entrance
		22.4	36.0	SH 114 east – Dallas	North end of SH 114 overlap
		22.9	36.9	DFW Airport (International Parkway)
		24.3	39.1	I-635 east	I-635 exit 36
		24.7	39.8	Bass Pro Drive / Bethel Road / Grapevine Mills Trail
		25.3	40.7	FM 2499 north (Grapevine Mills Parkway) – Flower Mound	northbound exit and southbound entrance, access to Grapevine Mills Mall
Dallas	Coppell–Grapevine line	26.2	42.2	Grapevine Mills Boulevard / Sandy Lake Road / Freeport Parkway
Denton	Lewisville	27.6	44.4	Bus. SH 121 north – Lewisville
Dallas	Coppell–Lewisville line	28.8	46.3	Sam Rayburn Tollway north / Denton Tap Road – McKinney	north end of freeway
Denton	Lewisville	30.0	48.3	Sam Rayburn Tollway / MacArthur Boulevard
		31.1	50.1	Sam Rayburn Tollway south / I-35E (US 77) – Denton, Dallas, D/FW Airport, Fort Worth	south end of Sam Rayburn Tollway overlap; south end of freeway; I-35E exits 447A-447B-448A
	Carrollton	32.3	52.0	Marchant Boulevard / Huffines Boulevard
		33.2	53.4	Sam Rayburn Tollway north / Hebron Parkway	north end of Sam Rayburn Tollway overlap; north end of freeway
		34.3	55.2	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Carrollton Parkway
	Lewisville	35.1	56.5	Sam Rayburn Tollway south / FM 544
		35.7	57.5	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Bus. SH 121 south / FM 2281 south – Lewisville
		36.6	58.9	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Standridge Drive / Castle Hills Drive
		36.9	59.4	Sam Rayburn Tollway / FM 423 north (Main Street) / Josey Lane – Little Elm
	The Colony	38.3	61.6	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Paige Road / Plano Parkway
				Sam Rayburn Tollway south	southbound exit and northbound entrance
		39.9	64.2	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Spring Creek Parkway
Collin	Plano–Frisco line	40.7	65.5	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Legacy Drive
		41.7	67.1	To Dallas North Tollway / Dallas Parkway
				Sam Rayburn Tollway / Parkwood Boulevard
		42.8	68.9	Sam Rayburn Tollway north / Dallas North Tollway / SH 289 (Preston Road)
				Sam Rayburn Tollway / Ohio Drive	interchange
		43.9	70.7	Sam Rayburn Tollway north / Hillcrest Road / Rasor Boulevard
		45.2	72.7	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Coit Road
		46.3	74.5	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Independence Parkway
	Plano–Frisco– Allen–McKinney quadripoint	47.2	76.0	Sam Rayburn Tollway south / FM 2478 north (Custer Road)
	Allen–McKinney line	48.1	77.4	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Exchange Parkway
		49.0	78.9	Sam Rayburn Tollway north / Alma Drive
		50.0	80.5	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Stacy Road
		50.8	81.8	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Watters Road / Lake Forest Drive
		51.8	83.4	Sam Rayburn Tollway / Chelsea Boulevard / Hardin Boulevard
		52.9	85.1	US 75 south to SH 5 (via Spur 399 east) – Dallas	south end of US 75 overlap; SH 121 south follows exit 39
	see US 75
	Melissa	61.2	98.5	US 75 north – Sherman	north end of US 75 overlap; SH 121 north follows exit 45
				SH 5 south	south end of SH 5 overlap
		62.2	100.1	SH 5 north – Melissa, Anna	Interchange; north end of SH 5 overlap
		63.7	102.5	FM 545 (East Melissa Road) – Melissa, Blue Ridge
		64.9	104.4	FM 2933 south – New Hope
	Anna			Outer Loop Road
				FM 455 west – Anna	south end of FM 455 overlap
				FM 455 east to FM 2862	north end of FM 455 overlap
	​	71.6	115.2	FM 2862 – Westminster
	Desert	75.4	121.3	SH 160 – Whitewright, Blue Ridge
Fannin	Trenton			FM 814 west	south end of FM 814 overlap
				FM 814 east – Trenton	north end of FM 814 overlap
		80.7	129.9	US 69 / Bus. US 69 – Whitewright, Leonard	Interchange
	​	86.0	138.4	Bus. SH 121 north
	​	86.5	139.2	SH 11 – Sherman, Commerce	Interchange
	​	87.7	141.1	Bus. SH 121 south – Randolph
	​	90.5	145.6	FM 1629 east – Edhube
	​	93.0	149.7	Spur 311 north to SH 56 west – Sherman, Sam Rayburn House
	Bonham	93.7	150.8	SH 56 west – Sherman	South end of SH 56 overlap
		94.2	151.6	SH 56 east – Bonham, Sam Rayburn Library	North end of SH 56 overlap
		96.1	154.7	US 82 – Sherman, Paris	US 82 exit 670
		96.9	155.9	FM 898 west – Ector
	​	98.3	158.2	SH 78 – Durant, Bonham
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Electronic toll collection       Incomplete access

Business routes

Randolph

Business State Highway 121-D
Location	Randolph
Length	1.734 mi[17] (2.791 km)
Existed	1990[17]–present

Business State Highway 121-D (Bus. SH 121-D) is a business route of SH 121 that serves the town of Randolph. The highway was designated in 1990 with the mileage being transferred from Loop 451.[18]

Bus. SH 121-D begins at an intersection with SH 121 and travels northeast before intersecting with FM 896. After intersecting with FM 896, the highway runs north and has a brief overlap with SH 11 through the town. After leaving the concurrency with SH 11, Bus. SH 121-D runs north and northeast before ending at an intersection with SH 121.

Junction list

The entire route is in Fannin County.

Location	mi[19]	km	Destinations	Notes
​	0.0	0.0	SH 121
Randolph	0.5	0.80	FM 896 south – Leonard
	0.6	0.97	SH 11 west – Whitewright, Bonham	South end of SH 11 overlap
	0.7	1.1	SH 11 east – Bailey	North end of SH 11 overlap
​	1.7	2.7	SH 121
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Lewisville

Business State Highway 121-H
Location	Dallas and Denton counties
Length	8.486 mi[20] (13.657 km)
Existed	1999[20]–present

Business State Highway 121-H (Bus. SH 121-H) is a business route of SH 121 that serves the town of Lewisville. The highway was designated in 1999 when SH 121 was re-routed around the city.

Bus. SH 121-H begins at an interchange with SH 121/Sam Rayburn Tollway in Coppell. The highway runs northeast through industrial areas of Lewisville and turns to the north at an interchange with FM 3040 (Round Grove Road)/Denton Tap Road. Bus. North of here, SH 121-H runs by many residential areas before meeting I-35E. North of I-35E, the highway runs just south of the city's central business district and turns in a northeast direction. At Main Street, Bus. SH 121-H turns in a more eastern direction and crosses over the Elm Fork Trinity River. The highway continues to run east and meets FM 544 at an intersection before ending at an interchange with SH 121/Sam Rayburn Tollway.

Junction list

County	Location	mi[21]	km	Destinations	Notes
Dallas	Coppell	0.0	0.0	SH 121 / Sam Rayburn Tollway north	Interchange
Denton	Lewisville	1.0	1.6	FM 3040 (Round Grove Road) / Denton Tap Road	Interchange
		3.3	5.3	I-35E (Stemmons Freeway)	I-35E exit 450
		4.5	7.2	Main Street	Former FM 1171
		5.7	9.2	Bridge over the Elm Fork Trinity River
		7.7	12.4	FM 544 east – Carrollton
		8.4	13.5	SH 121 / Sam Rayburn Tollway north	Interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

• Chisholm Trail Parkway
• Sam Rayburn Tollway

References

1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 121". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
2. http://www.ntta.org/NR/rdonlyres/3FFA8F0C-1525-445F-A169-8B47A341B396/0/NTTA_SWPCT_Brief.pdf", Southwest Parkway/Chisholm Trail Project Status Report March 2009 from the NTTA.
3. http://www.wfaa.com/video/?z=y&nvid=344241 "Overpasses give non-stop route between Frisco and D/FW", WFAA-TV report, March 20, 2009.
5. Archived 2007-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
9. (PDF) https://publicdocs.txdot.gov/minord/MinuteOrderDocLib/003676970.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. (PDF) https://publicdocs.txdot.gov/minord/MinuteOrderDocLib/003676991.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
11. (PDF) https://publicdocs.txdot.gov/minord/MinuteOrderDocLib/003673871.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
12. (PDF) https://publicdocs.txdot.gov/minord/MinuteOrderDocLib/003676256.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
13. (PDF) https://publicdocs.txdot.gov/minord/MinuteOrderDocLib/003676241.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
14. Texas State Highway Department. "Minute Orders of the October 4, 1973 Meeting of the Texas State Highway Department" (PDF). Austin, TX. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
15. Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation. "Minute Orders of the August 29, 1985 Meeting of the Texas State Highway and Public Transportation Commission" (PDF). Austin, TX. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
16. Google (September 30, 2013). "SH 121" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
17. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business State Highway No. 121-D". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
18. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Loop No. 451". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
19. Google (July 11, 2017). "Overview Map of Bus. SH 121-D" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
20. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business State Highway No. 121-H". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
21. Google (July 11, 2017). "Overview Map of Bus. SH 121-H" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

External links

• Denton & Collin County section of SH 121 - from dfwfreeways.info