Texas Tollways

Toll roads are generally highways in which the motorist must pay a toll to use. While the concept of the toll road is nothing new the large popularity they are receiving in Texas is. This is primarily due to lack of funds from traditional revenue sources; in Texas this would be the gasoline tax which is the primary source of transportation revenue in the state. There are approximately 17 current toll roads in the state of Texas with six additional roads proposed.Fact|date=March 2008

Operation of tollways

Most toll roads in Texas are operated by a regional tollway authority. According to the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) website these semi-government agencies are as follows:

Current tollway authorities

*The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA)
*The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA)
*The Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority (FBCTRA)
*The Brazoria County Toll Road Authority (BCTRA)
*The Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA)
*The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

The HCTRA is responsible for operating toll roads primarily in the Houston area, the NTTA is responsible for operating toll roads in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, the CTRMA is responsible for operating toll roads primarily in the Austin area, and the FBCTRA is responsible for operating toll roads in Fort Bend County, which is southwest of Houston.

Beyond these agencies in 2001 the State Legislature authorized the creation of the Regional Mobility Authorities (RMAs). These Authorities are designed as a means for individual or multiple counties to build, operate, and maintain local toll roads. These authorities are authorized to issue bonds as well as local revenue sources to pay for the initial costs of the toll road. The primary purpose for creating the RMAs was to reduce the time and bureaucratic 'red tape' in the toll road building process.

Current RMAs in Texas

* Alamo Regional Mobility Authority (ARMA)
* Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority
* Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA)
* [http://www.co.grayson.tx.us/gcrma.htm Grayson County Regional Mobility Authority]
* The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority
* The Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority
* The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA)
* North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NETRMA) [ [http://www.texastollways.com/content/rmas.htm Texas Tollways ] ]

Controversy over texas tollways

Pros and cons of tollways

Pros:
# Highways are constructed more quickly
# Upfront payments from private toll road operators help pay for other projects sooner
# Private companies take the risks on investment and potential cost overruns
# Users of the road pay themselves for its construction and maintenance
# More money can be allocated to the maintenance of other roads
# Lawmakers have not supported gas tax increases, leaving few options
# Tollways have environment benefits because fewer cars idling on the road

Cons:
# Tolls continue long after the road is paid for
# Tolls rise automatically, with no public input
# Residents nearest urban toll roads are hit the hardest
# Road costs are not shared equally by all taxpayers
# Toll roads are in essence a regressive tax which suggests that those who have better financial means have access to better transportation options
# Lawmakers are considering a gas tax increase tied to inflation, reducing the need for toll roads.

Moratorium on Texas tollways

Due to enduring controversy over the future of Texas tollways the state legislature in 2007 has overwhelmingly passed a moratorium in all tollways in the state of Texas. The moratorium would effectively ban all new proposals for tollways for two years lasting up until 2009. However, this moratorium has been deemed the 'swiss cheese moratorium as is has a multitude of exemptions placed in it. [ [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/legislature/stories/061207dntextollroads.352325f.html Perry signs legislation to halt private toll roads | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Legislature ] ] Specifically in these exemptions allow almost all the projects in the North Texas/Dallas regions to go forward. The primary concerns leading to the moratorium were whether or not the tollways were hurting tax payers in the long run specifically due to the state deviating from its tollway authority model and contracting out roads entirely to private companies. Many legislators saw this as problematic as the primary function of these tollways would not be to serve the public but to serve as an instrument of profit for private corporations. These companies could raise tolls to whatever the market could bear with little or virtually no public input and the tolls would continue long after the construction costs were paid for.

TxDOT support for tollways

TxDot is in favor of the tollways and claims that it simply does not have the funds to provide the anticipated service requirements of the Texas populace. [ [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/092807dntextxdot.11602ce76.html TxDOT running out of cash for new roads | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Regional News ] ] as it made this official statement “We simply can’t continue to rely on the gas tax as our sole source of highway funding. In fact, projections are that the state gas tax would need to be raised 600 percent to meet our transportation needs over the next 25 years. Texans tell us that they want relief from traffic congestion now, not later. Toll roads allow us to build roads sooner.” [ [http://www.texastollways.com/content/why.htm Texas Tollways ] ] – Phil Russell, P.E., Director, Texas Turnpike Authority Division, TxDOT.

External links

# [http://www.hctra.org Harris County Toll Road Authority]
# [http://www.ntta.org North Texas Tollway Authority]
# [http://www.ctrma.org Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority]

References