Texas

TransCore has won a big statewide systems integration and maintenance contract with the Texas Turnpike division of TxDOT. TransCore was selected over Raytheon and Telvent. The work was previously done largely by different companies, TransCore already being the largest - about 135 out of 155 lanes (CORRECTION).

The President George Bush Turnpike eastern extension (PGBT-EX) main lanes opened today (Dec 21) connecting the PGBT in Garland at SH78 to I-30. The 9.9 mile 15km pike cost $958m and comprises part of an envisaged belt route around the Dallas metro area.

A 2x3 main lanes highway it has a one-mile long bridge over Dallas' Lake Hubbard. Groundbreaking took place in August 2008.

Big toll highway improvement projects are moving in the Chicago IL and Dallas TX areas.

For some $12 billion of improvements planned over 15 years the Illinois Tollway is looking for project management services worth about $200m - let's revise that: expected to cost about $200m - for

(1) the $3.1b Elgin O'Hare Bypass project around the south and west of the Chicago area's big airport

(2) a $600m+ rebuild and expansion of the I-57/Tristate Tollway I-294 interchange and

The North Texas Tollway has sold $640.5m bonds to finance the Chisholm Trail Parkway.

Gov Rick Perry seems to be laying the ground for stepping up tollroad concessioning or PPPs in Texas. Today the state's Transportation Commission - a body which generally does the Governor's bidding - announced selection of a longtime Perry political confidante and associate Phil Wilson as the new executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. That position has normally been filled by a transportation professional.

Similar roads can vary enormously in cost. A striking example is Maryland's Inter County Connector (MDICC) and Texas' 121 Sam Rayburn Tollway (TX121SRT). They have a lot in common. They are both 3+3 mainline lanes, they are roughly comparable length (18.8 miles vs 26 miles, 30km vs 42km).

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.

Brownsville Texas on the Rio Grande has long done tolls on the international bridges with Mexico but they are getting into a bunch of toll-financed improvements of local highways and a bridge.

Motorists traveling west on the Sam Rayburn Tollway TX121 and wanting to go south on US75/Central Expressway have a splendid new direct connector ramp that allows them to a gentle left turn without the need to slow. The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) opened the ramp Saturday Mar 12 about 7pm.

The Sam Houston Tollway (SHT) will be a complete 88-mile, 141km belt route from February 26 with the scheduled opening of a final 13 mile, 21km segment in the northeast. Known as the Sam Houston Tollway Northeast the segment is 2x3 toll expressway lanes with continuous untolled frontage roads. These provide surface signalized intersections for connection to local streets and for turns - a rather standard Texas arrangement.