mck-2016-11-10-01 1. Custer Road widening

The city of Frisco is widening Custer Road from Stonebridge Drive to SH 121. The road runs between Frisco and McKinney and sees daily traffic to and from both cities. The 3-mile project will widen the existing four-lane roadway to six lanes.

Construction on this project was 85 percent complete as of Oct. 31 and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.

Timeline: January-December Cost: $9.17 million Funding sources: city of Frisco, Collin County

Transportation Update Drivers on Virginia Parkway will soon have a little more room as the city preps to widen the roadway west of US 75.[/caption]

2. Virginia Parkway Widening

The city of McKinney will bid this project in mid-November. The project including widening Virginia Parkway between US 75 and Ridge Road from four lanes to six lanes. From US 75 to Bellegrove Drive the roadway will be widened to the outside of the existing pavement and from Bellegrove to Ridge the roadway will be widened within the existing median.

Timeline: January-TBD Cost: TBD Funding sources: city of McKinney

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 toll roads, they also pay for operating and maintaining the existing toll roads and funding expansions and improvements.

Essentially, a toll road is never completely paid for. Ongoing maintenance costs, toll road expansions and widening projects require continual expenditures.

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 in the area.

Regularly scheduled increases of toll rates also help pay future projects. Toll rates are adjusted every odd-numbered year.

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

Source: North Texas Tollway Authority/Community Impact Newspaper