That higher increase is because the Mobility Authority determines toll increases by looking at inflation through the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The metric, which was higher this year than previous years, measures the change in pricing over time for urban consumers, according to the BLS website.
Board members raised questions about what the increase means for mobility affordability in Central Texas during an Oct. 27 meeting. However, Bill Chapman, the chief financial officer of the Mobility Authority, said the increases are unlikely to price drivers out of using the agency’s roads.
“If you would have asked me last year, ‘Would inflation be 5.3%?’ I would have thought, 'Not going to happen,' but you just don't know what the future is,” Chapman said. “Our [Traffic and Revenue] consultant looks at the elasticity of demand on the toll rates, and we're way below where people would start to be diverting off of the toll road because the rates are too high.”
Because toll rates vary, the 5.39% increase will impact toll gates differently. For example, the Park Street main lane on 183A Toll will jump from $1.59 to $1.68, whereas the Loyola Lane ramps on 183 South will go from $0.66 to $0.70, according to Mobility Authority documents.
Increases to the MoPac Express Lanes are the exception to the 5.39% bump, as they increased by $0.05 per gantry, the bridge-like structures that record tolls, annually prior to 2020. Last year’s increase was paused due to COVID-19, so the increase in 2022 will be $0.10, moving the toll per gantry to $0.45.
The board also discussed the possibility of making the $0.10 annual increase to the MoPac Express Lanes permanent to ensure the toll rates are in line with rates on 183 North. That decision will likely not be made until 2022.
“Just to be clear that the recommendation going forward to be 10 cents per year is not on the table as part of the resolution before the board today,” Mobility Authority Executive Director James Bass said.
The new toll rates will go into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2022.
