The US 183 North project that will add four tolled lanes and a fourth nontolled lane between MoPac and RM 620 could begin construction in 2019. Also included in the project is about $5 million worth of sidewalks and a shared-use path as well as direct connectors between US 183 and the MoPac express toll lanes under construction. “You’ll have an express-lane-to-express-lane connection,” said Justin Word, director of engineering for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, which is developing the project. The agency’s board officially approved Wednesday its intent to develop and build the project, a step called primacy, which gives it the first right to build toll projects in Travis and Williamson counties. At the May or June board meeting, staffers will present a financing plan for the $650 million project. That should include $120 million from the Texas Department of Transportation to fund the fourth nontolled lane. In March, the Texas Transportation Commission approved the funds as part of the state’s Unified Transportation Program, which is the agency’s construction plan. The 183 North financing plan will not include, however, roughly $150 million to build direct connectors between US 183 and RM 620. “Those are environmentally cleared and the footprints have been planned as a part of this overall project, but they will be deferred a to later day when they’re toll-viable or when there have been sufficient improvements on [RM] 620 to justify them,” Word said. “We’ll be looking at those and build them at the appropriate time.” Although those connectors have been environmentally cleared and the footprint for construction has been planned, Word said the agency has no plans to build them until development along RM 620 warrants the need for a connection, he said. Some board members expressed concern over seeing a repeat of the problems that plagued the MoPac express toll lane project that led to a two-year delay. Part of the delay was a result of the contractor discovering underground utilities not previously identified. Word said most of the utilities along US 183 are near the frontage roads, and this project will not involve work in those areas. “We don’t have as many really tight pinch points, but we will be widening out both the middle and moving the general-purpose lanes toward the frontage roads,” Word said. “… It will be complex, make no doubt about it, [because] you’re building inside the middle of an urban freeway.” The agency has had success with staying on track with its $743 million 183 South project between Hwy. 290 and Hwy. 71. Word said the Mobility Authority plans to apply lessons learned on both projects when determining the best process for developing and building the 183 North project.