State Rep. Jared Patterson wants to give one of North Texas’ main commuter lifelines a partisan facelift, renaming the 30.2-mile Dallas North Tollway the "Donald J. Trump Tollway." His proposal would attach the former president’s name to one of the region’s busiest north-south corridors, stretching from downtown Dallas into the booming suburbs to the north.
What Patterson proposed
Patterson, a Republican who represents Texas House District 106 in eastern Denton County, said in a social media post that he plans to file a nonbinding resolution to rename the roadway, as reported by WFAA. The Dallas North Tollway, roughly 30.2 miles long, runs from I-35E near downtown Dallas north to First Street in Prosper, per Wikipedia, and is operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority.
Who would decide
Any official name change would still have to clear the North Texas Tollway Authority’s board. The authority’s roadway naming policy sets the standards and gives the NTTA Board of Directors the power to approve or reject renaming requests. The policy also notes that the board can consider resolutions from local governments and spell out how any change would be rolled out, including signage and costs, according to NTTA.
Where this fits politically
Patterson’s push lands amid other recent efforts to put Mr. Trump’s name on major roadways. In May, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn introduced the I-47 Future Interstate Act to designate U.S. 287 as Interstate 47, dubbed the “Trump Interstate,” a move covered by Spectrum News. Cornyn’s proposal leans on a TxDOT feasibility study and would be a multistate federal project, while Patterson’s idea is a local, symbolic resolution that would still need NTTA cooperation to actually take effect.
Even if Patterson files the resolution, it would remain largely symbolic without NTTA board support and the logistical work of updating signs, maps, and maintenance records. As WFAA reported, the station asked NTTA for comment; the authority had not publicly endorsed the idea.
