Support for tollway would be revoked if TxDOT refused to grant local governments authority to set the tolls and retain excess revenues.
Frisco adopts 121 toll resolution
Officials seek local control in setting tolls, keeping revenue
By BILL LODGE
The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 2005
The Frisco City Council voted Tuesday night to join Collin County and the cities of Plano, McKinney and Allen in an effort to exert local control over expansion of State Highway 121 as a tollway.
Support for the tollway would be revoked by the Collin coalition if the Texas Department of Transportation refused to grant local governments authority to set the tolls and retain excess revenues.
"The Texas highway system is broken," council member Jim Joyner said before the 4-2 vote. He said Highway 121 is becoming too congested to delay the project any longer.
Mayor Pro Tem Mayor Maso and fellow council member Matt Lafata opposed the action.
"We have no agreement with TxDOT," Mr. Maso said.
Mr. Lafata said a toll road would discourage area shoppers from coming to Frisco.
The resolution calls for tolls on Highway 121 from Collin County's border with Denton County to Central Expressway.
Bob Brown, deputy Dallas district engineer for the Transportation Department, said before the Frisco meeting that a joint agreement by all five Collin County governments sets the stage for completion of the Highway 121 expansion before unbearable gridlock becomes a daily experience.
"If everything goes right, we think it can be open to traffic in 2010," he said. Frisco officials estimated the cost of the construction project at $400 million and noted that the Transportation Department already has spent $300 million for rights-of-way and service roads. They also estimated that the five Collin County governments have contributed an additional $100 million in rights-of-way and related construction.
Changing Highway 121 to a tollway also triggers some federal laws, Mr. Brown added.
"That kicks off a new environmental study," he said. "We use some federal dollars ... so we have to do a study showing that we comply with environmental laws."
The resolution adopted by Frisco and the other Collin County government entities calls for local control of the tolls and equal sharing of any extra money that is generated by those tolls.
E-mail blodge@dallasnews.com
Dallas Morning News: www.dallasnews.com
Officials seek local control in setting tolls, keeping revenue
By BILL LODGE
The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 2005
The Frisco City Council voted Tuesday night to join Collin County and the cities of Plano, McKinney and Allen in an effort to exert local control over expansion of State Highway 121 as a tollway.
Support for the tollway would be revoked by the Collin coalition if the Texas Department of Transportation refused to grant local governments authority to set the tolls and retain excess revenues.
"The Texas highway system is broken," council member Jim Joyner said before the 4-2 vote. He said Highway 121 is becoming too congested to delay the project any longer.
Mayor Pro Tem Mayor Maso and fellow council member Matt Lafata opposed the action.
"We have no agreement with TxDOT," Mr. Maso said.
Mr. Lafata said a toll road would discourage area shoppers from coming to Frisco.
The resolution calls for tolls on Highway 121 from Collin County's border with Denton County to Central Expressway.
Bob Brown, deputy Dallas district engineer for the Transportation Department, said before the Frisco meeting that a joint agreement by all five Collin County governments sets the stage for completion of the Highway 121 expansion before unbearable gridlock becomes a daily experience.
"If everything goes right, we think it can be open to traffic in 2010," he said. Frisco officials estimated the cost of the construction project at $400 million and noted that the Transportation Department already has spent $300 million for rights-of-way and service roads. They also estimated that the five Collin County governments have contributed an additional $100 million in rights-of-way and related construction.
Changing Highway 121 to a tollway also triggers some federal laws, Mr. Brown added.
"That kicks off a new environmental study," he said. "We use some federal dollars ... so we have to do a study showing that we comply with environmental laws."
The resolution adopted by Frisco and the other Collin County government entities calls for local control of the tolls and equal sharing of any extra money that is generated by those tolls.
E-mail blodge@dallasnews.com
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posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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