6. I-35 frontage road sidewalks

The city of Georgetown could break ground in early 2017 on a sidewalk along the southbound frontage road of I-35 between Hwy. 29 and Leander Road.

Timeline: early 2017-summer Cost: TBD Funding sources: city of Georgetown

7. Mays Street extension

The city of Georgetown broke ground 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 in late October. The project is expected to help with economic development efforts in the area. Williamson County has plans to extend Mays north from Oakmont and Paloma drives in Round Rock, which will create a continuous roadway from Hesters Crossing to Westinghouse.

Timeline: October-summer 2017 Cost: $6.4 million Funding sources: cities of Georgetown and Round Rock

How it works

Why are we paying tolls after  toll road construction is paid for?

Tolls pay for more than just building new toll roads. Though tolls do go toward repaying the bonds sold to fund constructing new roads, they also pay for operating and maintaining the existing roadways and funding expansions and improvements.

Essentially, a toll road is never completely paid for.

The state’s population is projected to increase to more than 30 million people by 2020, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. As the population increases, toll roads may undergo improvement projects to accommodate for the increased traffic congestion.

Regularly scheduled increases of toll rates also help pay for future projects.

Gas taxes and vehicle registration fees do not fund the toll roads. That revenue is used to fund nontolled projects by the Texas Department of Transportation. Toll roads, on the other hand, are largely funded through the sale of bonds that are repaid through tolls.