How we got here
As Austin’s population started to boom, local transportation leaders recognized the need for more roadways connecting the region. Many roads were in a “lousy state of repair,” and the state did not have the money to fix them or build new ones, said John Langmore, former board member of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority.
At the time, state road projects were funded solely through gas tax—a $0.20 per gallon tax Texans pay every time they’re at the pump. By the early 2000s, gas tax wasn’t bringing in enough revenue to build all the needed infrastructure projects in Austin, and every time a politician suggested raising the tax, it was shot down, Langmore said.
Texas’ gas tax still has not been raised since 1991, and it has lost nearly half its purchasing power due to inflation, according to CTRMA documents. The growing number of electric vehicles and fuel-efficient cars have also limited gas tax revenue, CTRMA Executive Director James Bass said.
Without adequate financial support from gas tax, transportation leaders turned to tolled roads as a solution.
“In the early 2000s the commission said, ‘There's got to be a better way to do this,’” Bass said. “One way we [did] that is by having our regional mobility authority go to the bond market, issue bonds, borrow money, and then collect the tolls and pay back that borrowed money over time.”
The CTRMA has worked with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to build six toll roads through this process—the Texas Department of Transportation built the other four. Langmore said building tolls has gone “amazingly well,” as they’ve given drivers a faster option and generated enough surplus to build more roads in the past two decades.
The actions taken
In 2003, House Bill 3588 passed, allowing regional mobility groups to build and operate toll roads. The passage allowed the CTRMA, which was created a year prior, to begin planning its first toll road.
In 2014 and 2015, two constitutional amendments dedicated more money from Texas’ oil, natural gas and sales tax to the state’s highway fund. The two amendments have provided billions more dollars to the state highway fund since their passage.
What’s next
The CTRMA has a five-year plan for potential roads it plans to bring to the Austin metro using surplus funding. Bass said the group is looking into adding one or two tolled lanes on MoPac, south of Lady Bird Lake. The CTRMA is also considering extending Hwy. 290 past Hwy. 130 to the east.
The CTRMA could also use its surplus funding for nontolled transportation projects, such as shared-use paths or trails.
“[We’ve] been at a growth stage, helping bring on new roadways and then stabilizing,” Bass said. “I think we're close to being at that point of stabilizing, and then maybe bringing on additional roadways, but maybe not, depending upon what the region wants.”
