SH 121 tolls to fund LBJ Freeway Expansion
Toll roads may fund unrelated LBJ project
September 10, 2006
Tony Hartzel
The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 2006
Longstanding plans to expand a major part of LBJ Freeway could cost $1.5 billion.
But state and local governments only have about $420 million for the project.
Something has to give.
Now, regional leaders are considering revenue from future, unrelated toll road projects to make up part of the shortfall. And the project – including the plan for tunnels under LBJ Freeway – may eventually change dramatically to help cut expenses.
A proposal before regional leaders would dedicate $200 million in future toll road revenue from State Highway 121 and State Highway 161. Private companies are expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for the right to build those roads, which are in various stages of planning and construction.
Using some of that money for LBJ would mark the first time in North Texas that revenue from one toll project would be shared with another, unrelated Texas Department of Transportation project. The Regional Transportation Council, which sets priorities for North Texas road projects, is expected to approve the measure at its meeting this week.
But the pressure is already on to keep the costs in check.
"This is the last increment that the Regional Transportation Council can give to the LBJ project," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the regional planning agency. "If LBJ can't be done for this amount, they will have to go back to the drawing board."
State engineers say they expect the private companies bidding to build and operate the project to come up with ideas to reduce its costs. That could include shortening the planned 2.5-mile tunnels or eliminating them.
The price tag adds up when figuring in money to operate the tunnel ventilation equipment and to build and staff a dedicated fire station, said Bill Hale, district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation.
Bidders will be encouraged to offer proposals without tunnels. A leading option is to instead build an open channel that would include overhanging frontage roads as were used on Central Expressway.
On LBJ, however, some of the lanes would hang out even farther over the highway than on Central, said John Hudspeth, LBJ project manager for the Texas Department of Transportation.
"I don't think tunnels are completely out of the picture," he said. "But we want to make sure the developer has all available options."
Because of longstanding concerns from adjacent homeowners, whatever is built will not go noticeably higher or wider than the existing roadway, Mr. Hudspeth added.
• Texas motorists, give yourselves a pat on the back: Seat belt usage topped 90 percent in the state for the first time in history. Since Transportation Department education and law enforcement programs began in 2002, the state has gone from about 76 percent usage to 90.44 percent.
Tony Hartzel can be reached at thartzel@dallasnews.com and at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265.
© 2006 The Dallas Morning News Co www.dallasnews.com
September 10, 2006
Tony Hartzel
The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 2006
Longstanding plans to expand a major part of LBJ Freeway could cost $1.5 billion.
But state and local governments only have about $420 million for the project.
Something has to give.
Now, regional leaders are considering revenue from future, unrelated toll road projects to make up part of the shortfall. And the project – including the plan for tunnels under LBJ Freeway – may eventually change dramatically to help cut expenses.
A proposal before regional leaders would dedicate $200 million in future toll road revenue from State Highway 121 and State Highway 161. Private companies are expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for the right to build those roads, which are in various stages of planning and construction.
Using some of that money for LBJ would mark the first time in North Texas that revenue from one toll project would be shared with another, unrelated Texas Department of Transportation project. The Regional Transportation Council, which sets priorities for North Texas road projects, is expected to approve the measure at its meeting this week.
But the pressure is already on to keep the costs in check.
"This is the last increment that the Regional Transportation Council can give to the LBJ project," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the regional planning agency. "If LBJ can't be done for this amount, they will have to go back to the drawing board."
State engineers say they expect the private companies bidding to build and operate the project to come up with ideas to reduce its costs. That could include shortening the planned 2.5-mile tunnels or eliminating them.
The price tag adds up when figuring in money to operate the tunnel ventilation equipment and to build and staff a dedicated fire station, said Bill Hale, district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation.
Bidders will be encouraged to offer proposals without tunnels. A leading option is to instead build an open channel that would include overhanging frontage roads as were used on Central Expressway.
On LBJ, however, some of the lanes would hang out even farther over the highway than on Central, said John Hudspeth, LBJ project manager for the Texas Department of Transportation.
"I don't think tunnels are completely out of the picture," he said. "But we want to make sure the developer has all available options."
Because of longstanding concerns from adjacent homeowners, whatever is built will not go noticeably higher or wider than the existing roadway, Mr. Hudspeth added.
• Texas motorists, give yourselves a pat on the back: Seat belt usage topped 90 percent in the state for the first time in history. Since Transportation Department education and law enforcement programs began in 2002, the state has gone from about 76 percent usage to 90.44 percent.
Tony Hartzel can be reached at thartzel@dallasnews.com and at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265.
© 2006 The Dallas Morning News Co
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Sunday, September 10, 2006
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