3. Rayford Road widening

This Montgomery County Precinct 3 road bond project will widen Rayford Road from four to six lanes between Lazy Lane and the Grand Parkway in the Spring area. In addition, a six-lane bridge will be constructed over the Union Pacific Corp. railroad tracks, new traffic signals will be installed and a raised median will be added to enhance the safety of left-turning motorists. The project should begin by the end of April, said Matthew Beasley, Montgomery County Precinct 3 chief of staff, and will begin with contractor mobilization, right of way preparation and land clearing. Funding came from the November 2015 road bond.

Timeline: late April 2017-late 2019 Cost: $60 million Funding sources: Montgomery County Precinct 3

4. Birnham Woods Drive improvements

This project will be built in two phases. (4A) Phase 1, which was completed in March, widened Birnham Woods Drive from two to four lanes between Fuller Bluff Drive and the Grand Parkway in Spring. (4B) Phase 2 will continue the widening process between the Grand Parkway and Waterbend Cove, creating a four-lane road with a center turn lane. A traffic signal will also be installed at the Birnham Woods Drive and Waterbend Cove intersection.

Timeline: February-March (Phase 1), early summer-August (Phase 2) Cost: $1.2 million Funding sources: Montgomery County Precinct 3

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[caption id="attachment_234700" align="alignright" width="220"] Electronic toll tag systems in Texas work interchangeably[/caption]

How it works: Electronic toll tag systems in Texas work interchangeably

In Texas there are 33 existing toll roads and 15 toll roads under construction that are operated by state, regional or county authorities, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

The Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin areas use one of three electronic toll-collection systems available in Texas—TxTag, TollTag or EZ Tag.

Despite the different collection systems, a toll tag for any one of the three entities works interchangeably for the other two systems.

For example, a Dallas-area resident with a TollTag will be charged on his or her TollTag account when driving in the Austin or Houston areas on a TxTag or EZ Tag toll road.

Payments are automatically deducted from a user’s account each time a driver passes under a toll gantry as long as the driver has a toll tag. Drivers without a toll tag will be billed separately by each tolling authority.