The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will negotiate a $120 million advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the US 183 North toll road project. The Mobility Authority board of directors authorized Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein to negotiate and execute the agreement with TxDOT at a June 28 meeting. The US 183 North project is scheduled to add four toll lanes, a fourth continuous nontolled lane between MoPac and RM 620, bicycle and pedestrian elements like sidewalks as well as direct connectors to MoPac express lanes and RM 620. According to Director of Engineering Justin Word’s presentation at the meeting, the agreement defines the responsibilities of the Mobility Authority and TxDOT, including:

• TxDOT will provide in-kind services and review procurement, design and environmental documents.
• The Mobility Authority will “develop, finance, construct, operate and maintain” the express lanes.
• The Mobility Authority will use approximately $120 million of TxDOT funding for the nontolled portions of the project.

The total cost for the project is expected to be $650 million. Click here to read more about the US 183 North project and how it will be funded. Reporting contributed by Amy Denney/Community Impact Newspaper. Disclosure: Amy Ellsworth, general manager for Community Impact Newspaper’s Round Rock-Pflugerville-Hutto edition, was appointed in February to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board of directors to serve a two-year term through Jan. 31, 2019.