What you need to know
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, the agency responsible for building and managing toll fares on many of the express lanes in the Austin area, announced a phased opening of its years-long 183 North project.
First, the agency opened the northbound express lanes on US 183, which will be followed soon after by the northbound direct connector from the MoPac toll lane to the US 183 Express Lanes, an area recognizable by the towering support beams and elevated lanes.
The southbound express lanes and southbound connection to the MoPac Express Lane are anticipated to open within a few months, but construction timelines are subject to change, a news release states.
The new US 183 toll lanes will operate under variable toll pricing, similar to the MoPac Express Lane. The price displayed on overhead signs before drivers enter the lanes is the price they will pay, according to the release.
Drivers in the US 183 non-tolled general-purpose lanes will have access to the same entrance and exit ramps between US 183 and the frontage road as before, along with the added fourth non-tolled general-purpose lane between MoPac and SH 45, which opened in 2024.
“Opening this portion of the project means drivers have a reliable travel option heading northbound when they need it most, helping keep Central Texans moving,” said James Bass, executive director for the Mobility Authority.
About the project
The 183 North Mobility Project is in its last year of construction with a targeted completion in 2026. The project was first launched in 2013 by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and Texas Department of Transportation.
The $612 million project aims to relieve congestion along 183 North—the 9-mile section of road between MoPac and SH 45—by adding two toll lanes in each direction that will connect to the existing tolls on MoPac and 183A in Cedar Park.
The project also added a fourth nontolled northbound and southbound lane, which opened in 2023; additional work is being done to improve shared-use paths along the corridor for bikes and pedestrians.
According to the Mobility Authority, the completed project will bring:
- 4,200 feet of shared-use paths connecting bike lanes
- 11 miles of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks
- 9-minute toll lane commutes by 2035
- 24-minute faster nontolled lane morning commutes by 2035
- 16-minute faster nontolled lane evening commutes by 2035
