"Any new facilities are more than likely going to be toll roads."
Toll road or no road, that is the question
August 2, 2006
Inside Collin County Business
Copyright 2006
Officials from TxDOT were available for questioning at the Plano Centre about the proposed tolling of SH 121 within the 13-mile corridor that passes through the cities of Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Fairview. The SH 121 main lanes through the corridor are in various stages of construction.
In December of 2003, the Texas Department of Transportation Commission approved a policy instructing TxDOT to evaluate all controlled-access highway projects as possible candidates for tolling. This includes all projects, even those under construction and those in the planning stage involving new lane construction, making SH 121 a candidate.
“You have to realize that this is a program in legislation that has only been in place a few years. So, there are more toll roads in the future that are in the planning levels. Any new facilities, like SH 121, are more than likely going to be toll roads,” said Bill Compton, P.E., SH 121 CDA Engineer, TxDOT Dallas District.
TxDOT presented an opportunity for the input of concerned citizens on the conceptual toll plan for SH 121, from the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) to US 75.
The toll rates for SH 121 will be consistent with other toll rates in the region. The toll rate guidelines for SH 121 are a result of the public outreach and decisions made by the North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG) and Regional Transportation Council (RTC).
In April of 2006 the RTC agreed a maximum average toll rate in 2010 would be 14.5 cent per mile. Initially, there will be a set toll of an average of 14.5 cents per mile. After an evaluation has been completed, a set of peak and off-peak tolls are likely to be established to better optimize the facility’s operations. This is a rate that will stay the same regardless of who is controlling the toll road.
“A viable option is to lease it to a private entity made up of a financer, engineering designers, contractors and an operations team in a single contract,” compton said. “The tolling regulation has been turned over to the locally elected officials that have voted and approved a tolling policy all TxDOT roads in the region, regardless.”
The only alternative for riding the Tollway would be to take the frontage road. A driver will have the option of using the non-tolled frontage road for the entire length of the project. The extra time it would take for a free ride is hard to tell.
“It depends how far you are going and how good a job the cities do at synchronizing the traffic signals. Any city over 50,000 people in the State of Texas has control of the signal systems and are responsible for providing good progression,” Compton said.
According to RTC the Metroplex is faced with a critical financial shortfall of $55 billion in transportation needs. In response to this, local policy officials are developing an innovative way to leverage funds. By partnering together, state and local officials can leverage additional state transportation funds, freeing existing allocations for critical safety, capacity and air quality projects.
Toll rates will be adjusted every two-years using the Consumer Price Index and it is unlikely that tolls will ever be removed from SH 121. Revenue is collected from the Tollway will continue to support the operation and maintenance of the facility and will expand the transportation system to meet transportation needs of the traveling community.
“Under the conditions of the financial tool available today its unlikely that new expressway-type lanes are going to be free. Even on expressways that we currently have, when we are going to build or add to them we address the additional lanes as a separate facility with in the facility that will be tolled lanes,” Compton said.
© 2006 Inside Collin County Business: www.insidetxbiz.com
August 2, 2006
Inside Collin County Business
Copyright 2006
Officials from TxDOT were available for questioning at the Plano Centre about the proposed tolling of SH 121 within the 13-mile corridor that passes through the cities of Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Fairview. The SH 121 main lanes through the corridor are in various stages of construction.
In December of 2003, the Texas Department of Transportation Commission approved a policy instructing TxDOT to evaluate all controlled-access highway projects as possible candidates for tolling. This includes all projects, even those under construction and those in the planning stage involving new lane construction, making SH 121 a candidate.
“You have to realize that this is a program in legislation that has only been in place a few years. So, there are more toll roads in the future that are in the planning levels. Any new facilities, like SH 121, are more than likely going to be toll roads,” said Bill Compton, P.E., SH 121 CDA Engineer, TxDOT Dallas District.
TxDOT presented an opportunity for the input of concerned citizens on the conceptual toll plan for SH 121, from the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) to US 75.
The toll rates for SH 121 will be consistent with other toll rates in the region. The toll rate guidelines for SH 121 are a result of the public outreach and decisions made by the North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG) and Regional Transportation Council (RTC).
In April of 2006 the RTC agreed a maximum average toll rate in 2010 would be 14.5 cent per mile. Initially, there will be a set toll of an average of 14.5 cents per mile. After an evaluation has been completed, a set of peak and off-peak tolls are likely to be established to better optimize the facility’s operations. This is a rate that will stay the same regardless of who is controlling the toll road.
“A viable option is to lease it to a private entity made up of a financer, engineering designers, contractors and an operations team in a single contract,” compton said. “The tolling regulation has been turned over to the locally elected officials that have voted and approved a tolling policy all TxDOT roads in the region, regardless.”
The only alternative for riding the Tollway would be to take the frontage road. A driver will have the option of using the non-tolled frontage road for the entire length of the project. The extra time it would take for a free ride is hard to tell.
“It depends how far you are going and how good a job the cities do at synchronizing the traffic signals. Any city over 50,000 people in the State of Texas has control of the signal systems and are responsible for providing good progression,” Compton said.
According to RTC the Metroplex is faced with a critical financial shortfall of $55 billion in transportation needs. In response to this, local policy officials are developing an innovative way to leverage funds. By partnering together, state and local officials can leverage additional state transportation funds, freeing existing allocations for critical safety, capacity and air quality projects.
Toll rates will be adjusted every two-years using the Consumer Price Index and it is unlikely that tolls will ever be removed from SH 121. Revenue is collected from the Tollway will continue to support the operation and maintenance of the facility and will expand the transportation system to meet transportation needs of the traveling community.
“Under the conditions of the financial tool available today its unlikely that new expressway-type lanes are going to be free. Even on expressways that we currently have, when we are going to build or add to them we address the additional lanes as a separate facility with in the facility that will be tolled lanes,” Compton said.
© 2006 Inside Collin County Business:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Wednesday, August 02, 2006
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