Based on current revenue, Texas can fund only about one-third of statewide transportation needs. This means just one in three projects will get the dollars needed for construction. The traditional tax-based method of financing roads is no longer sufficient to handle the state's mobility needs in a timely fashion. Developing roads as turnpikes will stretch limited taxpayer dollars and accelerate construction of highway projects, resulting in congestion relief for motorists, sooner rather than later.

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The state's population and number of registered vehicles continue to rise. This has resulted in the need for more roads to keep pace with the demand on our strained highway system. Turnpikes offer an alternative method of financing for needed highway projects. Although motorists will pay a toll to use the turnpike, they will benefit from time saved because of less congestion.

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Including toll roads and bridges, there are more than 20 successful toll projects currently operating in the state. In Houston, the most notable is the Sam Houston Parkway, operated by the Harris County Toll Road Authority. In Dallas, the Mountain Creek Lake Toll Bridge, President George Bush Turnpike, and Dallas North Tollway are operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority. In addition, 15 international toll bridges are located along the Texas/Mexico border.

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In 1953, the Legislature created the Texas Toll Authority to oversee toll road construction by private parties. The following year, construction began on the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike. The turnpike was completed in 1957, was paid off 17 years ahead of schedule and was debt free when it was turned over to the State of Texas. In 1983, Harris County approved a referendum to create the Harris County Toll Road Authority, which has built more than 80 miles of toll roads.

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An exclusive development agreement (EDA) allows highway projects to be built faster, allowing motorists to benefit sooner from improved mobility and safety.

An EDA is a contract between the Texas Department of Transportation and a consortia, consisting primarily of designers and construction contractors that may perform any or all of the following tasks: design, construct, operate, maintain, or finance a transportation project. Based on the project's overall need, competing consortia submit proposals, and TxDOT selects the proposal offering the best value for the project.

With the SH 130 EDA, the selected consortium Lone Star Infrastructure is responsible for designing, constructing, maintaining and partially financing this turnpike project.

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The CTTS 2002 Project will bring congestion relief to I-35 and surrounding arterial roads in Travis and Williamson Counties, as well as the Central Texas region. Mobility and safety will be improved by providing more transportation options for commuters, businesses and motorists.

The CTTS 2002 Project is being developed as a state-maintained toll facility that includes three project elements - SH 130 (from north of Georgetown to U.S. 183 in southern Travis County), SH 45 North, and the Loop 1 Extension.

These projects will be open to traffic by December 2007.

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Construction of the 65 miles of new toll roads in Central Texas will cost approximately $2.9 billion. This includes right of way acquisition, utility adjustments, design, and construction for SH 45 North, Loop 1 and the first and most critical 49 miles of SH 130, in Williamson and Travis counties.

With the addition of required reserve funds, interest, insurance and issuance costs, the total estimated costs are $3.6 billion. These projects will be open to traffic by December 2007.

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The four elements of the funding package include local contributions, state highway dollars, a federal loan and the sale of bonds, which will be paid for through the collection of tolls.

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Toll rates for the Central Texas Turnpike System are provided at www.txtag.org.

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When the debt is paid off, the tolls may be reduced to a level that would still cover necessary operation and maintenance costs. With the growing demand for new roads and other transportation improvements, however, the chances are that tolls will not be removed. Instead, toll revenues will be used for the toll roads’ continued operation and maintenance and/or to expand the toll system to meet transportation needs. Like the successful toll roads in Dallas and Houston, additional revenues can be used to operate, maintain, and expand the turnpike system.

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