Harris County Toll Road Authority
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The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA, pronounced "Hectra") maintains and operates a 103-mile (165.8 km) toll road system in the Houston/Harris County area.
[edit] History
HCTRA came into existence in September 1983 when Harris County voters approved a referendum by a 7-3 margin to release up to $900 million in bonds to create two toll roads - the Hardy Toll Road and the Sam Houston Tollway, to improve the regional mobility and reduce traffic congestion in the Greater Houston area, an area known for rapid population growth.
The need for a county-run toll road system came from TxDOT's budget shortfall and its inability to authorize funding to upgrade the second loop around the city, Beltway 8, which had been on planning maps since the 1950s. The Texas Turnpike Authority turned down the opportunity to improve the road as well, leaving the county to upgrade the road to freeway standards. However, Harris County could not afford to build and maintain a freeway from its general fund.
Shortly after the referendum, the Commissioners Court created the Toll Road Authority to administer the construction and operation of the new road system. Then-County Judge Jon Lindsay is generally credited with shepherding the referendum from its infancy to its passage, along with the implementation of the plan for the roadway. HCTRA is a part of Harris County's Public Infrastructure Department and is subdivided into a Services and an Operations Division.
While for many years, the Hardy Toll Road never had the traffic that the HCTRA envisioned it would need to turn a profit, the Sam Houston Tollway has more than made up for the lost revenue. The high profit margins on the Sam Houston Tollway allowed the authority to construct its third and fourth toll roads, the Westpark Tollway and Fort Bend Toll Road, both of which opened in 2004. Both of these toll roads have termini in Fort Bend County and are run in conjunction with the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority. The most recent project of HCTRA is the construction of managed lanes that run along the median of I-10/Katy Freeway between SH 6 and I-610 that will open in early 2009.[1]
[edit] Current system
The following toll roads (in order of first segment completion) form the current HCTRA system:
[edit] Sam Houston Tollway (1982)
The Sam Houston Tollway is the name given to the tolled sections of Beltway 8, the second highway loop around Houston. The first opened section was the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge in the east quadrant of the road system. As of 2009, the Sam Houston Tollway runs clockwise from the fore-mentioned tolled bridge to I-45 North. The remaining sections of Beltway 8 are either designated freeways or frontage roads without main lanes.
[edit] Hardy Toll Road (1988)
The Hardy Toll Road was constructed to help alleviate traffic off of I-45 North. The route begins at I-610 North between I-45 North and US 59 North and travels northward parallel to I-45 for 21.6 miles (34.8 km) after which it merges onto I-45. The toll road also features a 4-mile (6.4 km) spur to George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
[edit] Westpark Tollway (2004)
The Westpark Tollway is a 20-mile (32.2 km) toll road starting in Uptown Houston and travelling westward parallel to sections of Westpark Drive and FM 1093 and terminating just past the Grand Parkway (SH 99). It is the first all-electronic toll road in the United States. The Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority (FBCTRA) operates the western-most 6 miles (9.7 km) of the tollway.
[edit] Fort Bend Toll Road (2004)
The Fort Bend Toll Road is a 7.5-mile (12.1 km) tollway that follows the route of the formerly-cancelled State Highway 122. The toll road currently begins with direct connectors at US 90A, just north of the Sam Houston Tollway, and travels southward to its terminus at SH 6. As with the Westpark Tollway, the Fort Bend Toll Road is jointly operated with the FBCTRA.
[edit] Katy Freeway Managed Lanes (2009)
In 2002, HCTRA entered into an agreement with TxDOT and Harris County for the reconstruction of I-10/Katy Freeway. The toll road authority's portion of the project is a 12-mile (19.3 km) managed lane facility in the center of the reconstructed freeway that is used by METRO and HOV vehicles at no charge and single passenger vehicles for a toll. The four lane roadway, running between I-610/West Loop and SH 6, has been completed. The lanes opened during the first quarter of 2009.
[edit] Future projects
[edit] Hardy Downtown Connector
This 4-mile (6.4 km) long project will provide a connection between Downtown Houston and the current terminus of the Hardy Toll Road at I-610. Final design of the four lane tollway should be completed in 2009 with construction beginning shortly after.
[edit] Sam Houston Tollway: Northeast Segment
This project consists of constructing tolled main lanes from east of US 59 North to south of US 90A East. Construction began in July 2009 and is expected to be completed in Spring 2011. The estimated project cost is $550 Million. When completed, the tollway will provide three lanes in each direction and complete the Sam Houston Tollway system.[2] This will complete the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8 system in its entirety in terms of main lanes. Frontage roads for this segment have already been completed for some time.
[edit] SH 288 Managed Lanes
To help alleviate congestion on SH 288, HCTRA plans to construct toll lanes in the median of the existing freeway. The route would begin at US 59 just south of Midtown and terminate at the intersection of the proposed Grand Parkway (SH 99) for a total length of 26 miles (41.8 km). Construction is estimated to begin in 2012.
[edit] SH 249 Southbound to Westbound Sam Houston Tollway Direct Connector
This project will add a direct connector to feed traffic travelling south on SH 249 onto the westbound Sam Houston Tollway. This will be the second tolled direct connector at that intersection. Final design of the project will be completed in late 2009 with construction beginning shortly after.
[edit] Grand Parkway Tollway: Segment E
This project will feature a 15-mile (24.1 km) tollway beginning at the terminus of the completed Segment D (just south of I-10 West) and ending at the intersection of US 290. Currently a feeder road is complete one mile north of I-10 ending at Franz Road. Final design of this portion of the Grand Parkway was completed in Fall 2008. Construction is set to begin in 2009 and is expected to finish in 2011 according to accelerated plans approved in July 2008.
[edit] Grand Parkway Tollway: Segment F-1
Continuing around the proposed loop, the 12-mile (19.3 km) tolled Segment F-1 will travel from US 290 to SH 249. Final design of the tollway began in Fall 2008 and should take approximately two and a half years. Construction is anticipated to begin in Spring 2011 and be completed during Spring 2013.
[edit] Grand Parkway Tollway: Segment F-2
The next tolled segment of the Grand Parkway travels 12.1 miles (19.5 km) between the SH 249 and I-45 North freeways. The segment will follow the same design and construction schedule as Segment F-1.
[edit] Grand Parkway Tollway: Segment G
Segment G will pick up where Segment F-2 ended, travelling 13 miles (20.9 km) from I-45 North to US 59 North. Spring 2009 will see the beginning of final engineering design with construction beginning in Spring 2011 and completion in Spring 2013.
[edit] Grand Parkway Tollway: Segment I-2
This 14.5-mile (23.3 km) segment of the Grand Parkway opened in early 2008. The route begins at Business SH 146 and terminates at I-10 East. The northern-most 9 miles (14.5 km) of the segment will be converted into a toll road by the start of 2009. Even though the tollway will be located in Chambers County and is a project of TxDOT, HCTRA will most likely become of the operator of the toll road.
[edit] Hempstead Highway/US 290 Managed Lanes
The planned project will add four tolled lanes along the Hempstead Highway corridor between I-610 and the future Grand Parkway (SH 99) northwest segment. The project is one component of the complete US 290 corridor upgrade by TxDOT, which also includes added capacity to US 290, a new HOV system parallel to the Hempstead Highway, and a possible commuter rail line in conjunction with METRO. Final design of HCTRA's portion of the project should end in late 2010 with construction beginning shortly after.
[edit] Fort Bend Parkway/South Post Oak Road Extension
The project will connect I-610 via the South Post Oak exit to the northern terminus of the Fort Bend Parkway with just over 3 miles (4.8 km) of tolled lanes.
[edit] Fairmont Parkway East Managed Lanes
This project will add 9.5 miles (15.3 km) of tolled lanes between Beltway 8 East and SH 146 parallel to Fairmont Parkway and Red Bluff Road. The estimated start date for construction is 2015.
[edit] Increased capacity of existing toll roads
Added capacity is planned for the following existing tollway segments:
- Sam Houston Tollway West from the plaza to the Memorial Drive exitway
- Sam Houston Tollway South from SH 288 to US 59 South
- Beltway 8 North from I-45 to Imperial Valley
- Sam Houston Tollway from Gessner Road to West Road
