austin

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (RMA) are selling $376m in toll revenue bonds to allow a start on work this summer on the Manor Expressway (US290) in the east part of the Austin metro area. 6.2 miles, 10km long it will consist of a 2x3 toll expressway lanes in the wide median of an existing 2x2 lanes surface road.

TxDOT's tollroads in the Austin TX area continued healthy growth this year. Their Central Texas Turnpike System (CTTS) - TX130, Loop 1 and TX45N - report toll transactions up 5% to 78m in their 2010 fiscal year (to 2010-08-31).

A major innovation by an Austin Texas start-up company BancPass formed by toll industry veterans will allow motorists to pay tolls by mobile phone. Brandnamed PToll, it serves occasional users of tollroads, people who don't find it worthwhile to establish a transponder account, giving them the convenience of using the highspeed electronic lanes - the open road tolling - without the hassle of a transponder account.

Central Texas RMA are increasing tolls 15% at their Park Street mainline toll point Jan 1. Transponder or TxTag tolls rise from $1.35 to $1.55 while camera-based tolls for non-transponder equipped vehicles - Pay By Mail they call it there - goes from $1.80 to $2.07.

Central Texas RMA, the Austin TX toller had estimates from PBS&J their general engineering consultants that their Manor Expressway (290Toll) first phase would cost around $120m when the project was in the early stages of design in 2006-2007.

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board have voted to eliminate cash toll collection on their 183A toll road northwest of Austin by the end of 2008. The decision is expected to save the agency more than $1 million annually in operating costs.

Central Texas RMA, operator of the 183A tollroad northwest of Austin TX is moving to implement video tolling, as a first step toward giving up cash collection. They expect to begin sending out video toll bills in March or April. Cash collection will continue for now.

The move to video tolling was endorsed by the board of directors of the CTRMA today.