Texas DPS cites other demands in ending NTTA tollway patrol deal

The Texas Department of Public Safety has notified the North Texas Tollway Authority that it will not renew an agreement dedicating state troopers to patrol NTTA roadways after the deal expires at the end of August.

NTTA oversees more than 150 miles of roads, bridges and tunnels across North Texas, including the Dallas North Tollway, President George Bush Turnpike and Sam Rayburn Tollway.

DPS Col. Freeman Martin told NTTA CEO James Hofmann in a June 1 letter that a “comprehensive assessment of our statewide operational requirements” led the agency to forgo renewal. Martin wrote that DPS must preserve the flexibility to deploy personnel and resources in response to an “ever-changing threat environment.”

“The structure of the current agreement limits that flexibility in ways not aligned with DPS’s statewide operational needs,” Martin said in the letter reviewed by The Dallas Morning News.

The changes in store after the end of the current three-year agreement, including how many fewer troopers may routinely patrol the tollways, were unclear Monday. NTTA’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the current contract in August 2023. 

The agreement between NTTA and DPS is set to expire Aug. 31. After then, Martin said, DPS would continue to provide support “just as we do across Texas, consistent with our jurisdiction and statutory responsibilities.”

Michael Rey, an NTTA spokesperson, did not answer emailed questions Monday about the agreement’s terms, saying a record request would be needed, but said NTTA was working to “ensure a smooth transition in the interim.”

Messages to DPS spokespeople were not returned Monday.

Martin’s letter suggests DPS and NTTA had discussed the agreement before the state police decided not to renew it, saying, “While we appreciate NTTA’s engagement and the perspectives offered in prior discussions, DPS’s determination is grounded in its broader statewide mission requirements.”

Neither NTTA nor DPS provided a copy of the current agreement Monday. Open records requests by The News seeking the document were pending.