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Newsroom
10/8/2007
A study commissioned by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority has found the 183-A toll road is creating significant time savings for all drivers, whether they use 183-A or not. The study also found significant reductions in traffic on non-tolled roads, including U.S. 183
and Parmer Lane.
In 2004, the average morning rush hour drive time on the non-tolled U.S. 183 from the San Gabriel River to R.M. 620 near Lakeline Mall was 36 minutes. Today, this same trip takes just 19 minutes, a reduction of nearly 50%. Drivers using the 183-A toll road save even more time, cutting the previously 36-minute trip to just 13 minutes, a time savings of more than 60% over 2004. These improvements come despite significant economic growth in the area. For example, the population of
Leander has nearly doubled since 2003, rising from 13,846 residents to 26,000.
The study also examined how 183-A has impacted actual traffic volumes. On U.S. 183, traffic has been reduced by as much as 27% since 183A opened. On Parmer Lane/Ronald Reagan Boulevard, traffic has decreased by as much as 29%. More than 25,000 vehicles each day have switched from those previously traveled roadways to the 183A toll road, improving mobility for everyone in the region.
“This data proves that toll roads benefit everyone in the community,” says Mike Heiligenstein Executive Director of the Mobility Authority. “Travel times have been decreased for everyone in the 183-A corridor - whether they choose to use the toll road or not.”
The Mobility Authority has also looked at where drivers on 183-A come from. An analysis of TxTag customers who use 183-A during morning rush hour found that roughly 60% live in Cedar Park, Leander or Liberty Hill. The remaining 40% of TxTag customers on 183-A during morning rush hour come from areas throughout Central Texas and the rest of the state.
“While 183A is predominantly a commuter route, the widespread use of the road by residents all over the area is surprising,” says Heiligenstein. “Clearly, the benefits of 183-A extend to drivers
throughout our region.”
Use of 183-A has been far greater than originally projected. Each day there are more than 55,000 toll transactions on 183-A, double the 24,600 originally projected. TxTag usage has also been much higher than predicted. Approximately 80% of drivers are paying their tolls with TxTag.
Because the number of people using 183-A has so greatly exceeded projections, the Mobility Authority is accelerating development of the northern extension of 183-A. “The majority of our customers are coming from the north and by extending the roadway, we will be able to shorten their travel time even more,” says Heiligenstein. The Mobility Authority hopes to have the 183-A extension under construction within two years.
About the 183-A:
Project 183-A is an 11.6 mile, $238 million toll road constructed by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, a government agency serving Travis and Williamson counties. The project was funded primarily through the sale of toll revenue bonds. The road, which runs from R.M. 620 at U.S. 183 to U.S. 183 at the South San Gabriel River, features highway speed all-electronic tolling, which allows drivers with a TxTag sticker to pay tolls without slowing down or stopping. A portion of 183-A near Lakeline Mall Drive only accepts electronic payments, meaning customers are required to have a TxTag, Dallas TollTag or Houston EZ-Tag to use it.
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