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Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority.
Williamson County commissioners are pushing forward with a study for the Ronald Reagan Boulevard corridor.
What you need to know
On April 15, county commissioners approved a resolution asking the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to conduct a traffic and revenues study for the corridor, which is expected to eventually become an eight-lane controlled-access roadway.
The roughly 30-mile project has five total segments and stretches from RM 1431 in Cedar Park to I-35 in Georgetown. The roadway also travels through Leander and Liberty Hill.
Williamson County is considering a design that includes the addition of two managed—or tolled—lanes in each direction and two free general purpose lanes in each direction to create the future eight-lane roadway, per county documents.
How it works
A two-part Mobility Authority study would help determine if the corridor is toll-viable and would cost $600,000 combined, Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long told Community Impact.
The study would be funded by the Mobility Authority, which collects money from toll road revenue, said Connie Odom, Williamson County communications and media relations director.
The Mobility Authority board must approve the county's request for the study, which officials intend to bring forward in the near future, Mobility Authority Director of Communications Jori Liu said in an email.
"For toll facilities to be financially viable, the facility must be able to generate sufficient revenue from operations to cover borrowing costs as well as other project and maintenance expenses over the life of the facility," Liu said.
The study could take about 12-18 months once formally initiated, Liu said.
How we got here
At an April 3 Leander City Council meeting, Long said the current corridor design is conceptual. Construction of the first section, Segment A, is estimated to cost $532 million, according to Leander city documents.
“If we had $500 million dollars to do this without tolling it, that would be awesome,” Long said at the April 3 meeting. “The reality is, we don’t.”
What they’re saying
Senior Director of Infrastructure Bob Daigh said Williamson County joined with Travis County in forming the Mobility Authority to help fund “super expensive projects” after realizing the Texas Department of Transportation could not help fund all of the county’s future mobility needs.
Daigh said that over the life of a roadway project, it’s generally more expensive to maintain the road than it is to construct it.
If the eight-lane roadway is approved, Daigh said the Mobility Authority would assume the maintenance of main lanes—or toll lanes—and frontage roads.
“The maintenance cost for the frontage roads is currently being borne by the local cities and the county, so the taxpayers would be relieved of that burden,” Daigh said.
Long said there are multiple ways to fund roads in Texas, including through property taxes, sales tax, gas tax or through a user-pay system like the Mobility Authority. A user-pay system means the users driving the road are the ones that are paying for it, Long said.
“I would much rather have the users pay for it than the property taxes of people who don't want to drive toll roads,” Long said.
Keep in mind
Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said the asphalt down now on Ronald Reagan Boulevard will remain free and nontolled.
“We're talking about entirely new construction of the main lanes," Boles said. "Those are the lanes in the middle of the right of way.”
The impact
From 2015-25, there have been 1,144 total accidents along Ronald Reagan Boulevard and five fatal accidents, according to an April 3 Leander City Council presentation.
Leander council members took no action on a resolution in support of the Mobility Authority's development and construction of the Ronald Reagan Boulevard main line and frontage roads at the April 3 meeting.
The Mobility Authority study does not require approval from Leander officials to move forward, Odom said.
The county resolution received five public comments against adding tolls to Ronald Reagan Boulevard and one comment in favor of it.
Funding the project
No funding for the corridor’s long-term vision has been identified, and no construction timelines for any of the segments have been determined, according to the county’s website.
In 2023, Williamson County voters approved a $884 million bond proposal with $825 million designated for road projects. Residents can view active county road projects here.
What happens next?
The Mobility Authority will return to Williamson County and involved cities with its findings from the study, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said at the meeting.
Liu said if the project moves forward, design and construction timeline estimates would be developed.
