Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark and Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack encouraged the Montgomery County Commissioners Court to
remove the tolls on the Hwy. 242 flyover between I-45 and Hwy. 242 during the court's May 8 meeting. However, the court rejected the motion Tuesday to remove the tolls.
After a suggestion from a commissioner to schedule a workshop with the Texas Department of Transportation to determine the financial and contractual implications of removing the tolls, Clark amended his motion to remove the tolls on the two flyovers after the completion of the workshop. The court denied the motion with a 2-3 vote.
Montgomery County voters approved the construction and tolling of the 242 flyovers in a pass-through
bond program approved by voters in 2005.
“We heard today what the will of the people is,” Clark said, referring to residents’ disapproval of the tolls during the public comment period May 8. “We talk about what we are going to do in the future as far as removing tolls. But, I think it’s the right thing to do. I have no authority to go down [to TxDOT] and make this happen without the court’s approval.”
Noack said that since the project’s debt has been paid off it is time to remove the tolls.
“This court has discussed multiple times the removal of these tolls once the debt has been repaid. We have paid that debt,” Noack said during the meeting. “I would like to see us remove the tolls. I think it is going to be the right thing for the community at this time.”
However, other commissioners disagreed and said the county could lose money and jeopardize future flyover projects if the tolls were removed. Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador said the initial agreement with TxDOT included an additional phase.
“This project is not complete,” Meador said during the meeting. “We all know [it]. We have talked about it multiple times. We have another flyover to construct.”