Texas

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.

Good news from the North Tarrant Express (NTE) toll project in the Dallas TX area.

TxDOT's three month-long 90%-amnesty program on outstanding toll penalty fees garnered about 1.25% of scofflaw debt - $767k out of $61.6m. The recovery of unpaid tolls was much higher - $265k out of $3.2m or 8.3%. Recovery of violation fees was $501k out of $58.4m or about 0.9%.

10,580 people who took advantage of the 90% forgiveness program represented just over 7% of about 150,000 people with serious toll and penalty debts.

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.

North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) are breaking with their practice of relying heavily on contracted consultant firms for legal, engineering, planning and financial services in favor of hiring staff. And they plan to recompete consulting contracts in place for years by periodic negotiation.

The Turnpike division of TxDOT is doing something unusual in the US at least - classifying vehicles entirely with overhead equipment using volumetric laser profilers. No loops.

DFW Connector, a huge new expressway complex on the northern and northwestern edge of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will have a small toll component, but construction of the $1.02b project is being financed with tax revenues.

NTTA and TxDOT are opening the first segment of the State Highway 161 (SH161 or TX161) main toll lanes August 1. The new tollroad built by TxDOT will be operated by North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA), the regional public toll authority in the Dallas Fort Worth metro area.

North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) are due to open their sixth toll facility, Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge August 1. The bridge is part of a 22km (14 mile) east-west surface arterial route between I-35E on its western end and Dallas North Tollway on its eastern end. Apart from the bridge the route is untolled and is being built by TxDOT Denton County and local cities, Frisco and Little Elm.

July 2 2009 should be recorded as an important date in tollroad history. It was the day Chinese regulators gave the green light to Sichuan Expressway Company's Initial Private Offering (IPO) of shares in Shanghai, while in Texas, USA the legislature adjourned for 18 months slamming the door on investor pikes.

Dallas Morning News' Michael Lindenberger got the story first that the recently signed 52 year concession contract between Cintra and partners and TxDOT for the North Tarrant Express project is being held up by the state Attorney General, Greg Abbott on the grounds that it is not "legally sufficient." He has been arguing that the contract is unconstitutional  and the News quotes him: "The Texas Constitution says that one Legislature cannot financ

The Trinity tollroad will be delayed at least 20 months with more work needed to evaluate the Trinity River flood levees on which it is planned to be constructed.  The US Army Corps of Engineers said recently it couldn't approve construction on the river levees without some 1500 bore samples being taken and remediation to allow the levees to withstand an 800-year flood event.

The much fought-over State Highway 121 tollroad is being formally renamed in a ceremony next week the Sam Rayburn Tollway. That will be the second major toll authority facility in  the United States named after a famous speaker of the US House of Representatives, the first having been Thomas 'Tip' O'Neill (1912-1994).

State Highway 45 Southeast tollroad (TR) opened today May 7, the fifth pike in the Austin Texas metro area. A 12km (7.5 mile) 4-lane expressway it provides improved east-west connectivity in the southern part of the Texas' capital area, as well as being the final leg, in combination with SH130 tollroad, of an eastern bypass or half-belt route on the eastside of the 1m pop metro area.

Bob Daigh Austin district engineer at TxDOT is leaving at the month's end. Daigh has been the key figure in developing a network of tollroads around the Texas capital area. In his mid-50s he's got another good career ahead of him. We haven't heard whether he has another job lined up, but given his accomplishments in the state capital there should be plenty of people with offers.

A bill has passed the Texas senate that will allow the tolling of presently free state highways so long as at least the existing number of free lanes is maintained. The bill SB220 which has passed the state senate 31/0 allows the reconstruction of an existing tax-financed state highway with tolls if the same or more untolled lanes are provided as existed prior to reconstruction.

Legislation is moving through the Texas legislature to virtually preclude further private tollroad development in the state. SB17 sponsored by state senator Robert Nichols (Republican) builds on SB792 the 'moratorium' bill of 2007 and is even more hostile to private toll concessions.

Michael Huerta group president of transportation at ACS (Affiliated Computer Systems) is being replaced by Dave Amoriell, from IBM and Lockheed. Lynn Blodgett, ACS president and chief executive officer is quoted: "We are getting an exceptional and distinguished leader in Dave. His considerable experience and vision will allow him and our Transportation Solutions Group to address the complex transportation challenges facing governments around the world.

TxDOT has announced that a Cintra/Meridiam/Dallas police/fireman's pension system team are the preferred investors in a 52 year toll concession to finance, build, operate and toll "The New LBJ" or I-635 Managed Lanes Project, an expansion to 14 travel lanes from 8 of the major east-west expressway across the northern part of Dallas.Operating under the pro

The board of directors of North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) have approved a public-public toll concession contract for construction and operation of TX161 midway between Dallas and Ft Worth. NTTA will pay TxDOT $458m upfront payment, which covers reimbursement to TxDOT for money spent on civil works on Phases 2 and 3. NTTA will pay for construction of Phase 4 and install toll collection equipment on Phases 2 and 3. (Phase 1 is free frontage roads already open.)