Texas

2012/11/30: Tomorrow December 1 will see the first traffic traveling on the first tolled portion of the new Manor Expressway or US290E, to be the sixth tollroad in the Texas capital metro area. Central Texas RMA spokesman Steve Pustelnyk says they'll quietly remove barriers late this evening to allow traffic to use three eastbound main lanes of Phase 1 from US183 to Springdale Road, about 1.4 miles, 2.25km.

Sad to say but the major legacy of the tragic railroad crossing crash in which four military veterans died in Midland Texas last week will be to reinforce Yankee stereotypes of rural Texans as comic country simpletons.

There's often rivalry in the bigger states between metro area or large county-based roller and the state DOT. Think Florida DOT and OOCEA and Tampa HEA. In Texas most of the rivalry is in Dallas between TxDOT and North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA.)

TxDOT tends to favor farming new toll projects out to investors in a public private partnership (P3) or toll concession whereas NTTA favors the traditional in-house development, financing, and operations as well as the risk taking.

2012-10-25: The Cesar Chavez Toll System Integration and Maintenance contract has gone to Telvent, the system integration part being $2.86m and the maintenance being $947k.

2012-09-27: Houston TX, America's fastest growing metro area will get another 38 miles of pike on its third beltway with the selection of a contractor to do design, build, operations and capital maintenance. The Texas Transportation Commission today approved TxDOT's selection of Zachry-Odebrecht Parkway Builders (ZOPB) ahead of three other shortlisted groups who proposed.

2012-09-17: Texas DOT is moving to add a $1.3 billion rebuild/toll lanes project on I-35W to the North Tarrant Express concession. They say in an announcement today they hope to have the entire project under the amended concession contract by year's end.

Texas Department of Transportation has approved a proposal

2012-08-30: Central Texas RMA is starting on toll lanes to provide a premium option for motorists traveling north of downtown Austin on the MoPac Expressway. $200m will build a 4th lane each direction for 11 miles between Cesar Chavez Street on the bank of the river downtown up to Parmer Lane where TxDOT's Loop 1 tollroad begins.

There will only be access and egress at each end and at one intermediate interchange - with Tx183 about midway.

2012-08-30: Just a week after a Volvo dealership and NTTA announced toll-free rides for Legion of Valor members on tollroads in the Dallas metro area, Texas DOT is upping the patriotic ante by announcing toll-free trips for "select veterans." This includes disabled veterans and recipients of the Purple Heart medal and congressional Medals of H

2012-08-24: Most toll rates on the 120 mile Houston area toll system operated by Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) are rising September 8. Mainline toll rates with the EZ TAG transponders will got up a dime to $1.40 (about 8% higher) while cash toll rates go up a quarter from $1.50 to $1.75 (a 17% increase) for cars.