Ongoing Projects
-
The city of Georgetown broke ground in October on a project to extend Mays Street from Teravista Parkway and Bass Pro Drive in Round Rock to the intersection of Westinghouse and Rabbit Hill roads in Georgetown. Williamson County has plans to extend Mays north from Oakmont and Paloma drives in Round Rock. Estimated timeline: October 2016-summer 2017
-
Construction continues to widen FM 1460 to a four-lane, divided roadway from Quail Valley Drive in Georgetown to just north of University Boulevard in Round Rock. Pavement on the southbound lanes is currently being laid. Estimated timeline: February 2016- winter 2018
Featured Update
Georgetown staffers are working to finalize plans for the city’s transit system, set to launch in August, before the council votes to adopt the final plans for the transit system at an April 11 City Council meeting.
At press time, the city was still working with Capital Metro, the public transportation provider for Austin, to finalize the logo design after council gave city staff approval for the transit system name, GoGeo., at a March 28 City Council workshop.
The Georgetown Health Foundation, which is helping fund the project, conducted an open public input survey in January and February that received 396 responses. Questions asked residents for feedback on pricing, payment and routes.
Of those who responded, 332 people said the proposed $2 unlimited day pass is priced “just right.” And 204 responders said the proposed $30 unlimited monthly pass was priced “just right,” with 137 responders saying it was “too high.” Responders said the city could provide pass options for single rides, day passes, weekly passes and monthly passes.
The city is looking to implement the following payment options: cash on the bus paid to the driver and stored value cards purchased through the Capital Area Rural Transportation System website or by phone at 1-800-456-7433.
The city is also researching reduced fares for: seniors, age 65 and over with a Medicare ID; people with a disability, qualified through Capital Metro; veterans and active military; Students with ID, 12 & Up; Accompanied children 0-12, with Full Fare Rider.
Staff will present final recommendations for fares and scheduling during the April 11 City Council workshop. The Council will review the final map of routes and stops on April 11.
The system was approved as part of the city’s transit development plan at a meeting last September. In October, Community Impact Newspaper reported that the city expects ridership to reach 40,000 in the first year.
The transit map included with this story is not the finalized version.
How It Works
Electronic toll tag systems in Texas work interchangeably
In Texas there are 33 existing toll roads and 15 toll roads under construction that are operated by state, regional or county authorities, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
The Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin areas use one of three electronic toll-collection systems available in Texas—TxTag, TollTag or EZ Tag.
Despite the different collection systems, a toll tag for any one of the three entities works interchangeably for the other two systems.
For example, a Dallas-area resident with a TollTag will be charged on his or her TollTag account when driving in the Austin or Houston areas on a TxTag or EZ Tag toll road.
Payments are automatically deducted from a user’s account each time a driver passes under a toll gantry as long as the driver has a toll tag. Drivers without a toll tag will be billed separately by each tolling authority.
