Montgomery County Toll Road Authority
| Authority overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 2005[1] |
| Jurisdiction | Montgomery County, Texas |
| Headquarters | Montgomery County Commissioners Court |
The Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA), formerly the Montgomery County Transportation Program (MCTP), operates the State Highway 242 (SH 242) Direct Connectors to Interstate 45 (I-45), with the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) collecting tolls for MCTRA. In future, MCTRA will also operate tolled mainline portions of SH 249 (Tomball Parkway). These toll projects are located inside of Montgomery County, in the U.S. state of Texas.
History
In 2005, Montgomery County created the Montgomery County Transportation Program (MCTP) to oversee various pass through toll, called a shadow toll in other countries, financing projects for the state of Texas, located within Montgomery County.
On August 24, 2006, Montgomery County created the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA) to oversee all future toll road projects, located within Montgomery County.
When the MCTRA began collecting tolls from the tolling facilities, it used the EZ TAG system along with the two Texas interoperable tags used in the state; Texas Department of Transportation's TxTag and the North Texas Tollway Authority's TollTag. As of September 28, 2016; It is unclear if the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority will accept any other toll tags when EZ TAG becomes interoperable with the K-Tag system used in Kansas and the PikePass system used in Oklahoma, around the 3rd quarter of 2017.
Roadway system
Roads built by the MCTP
| Name | Starting location | Ending location |
|---|---|---|
| FM 1314[a] | Fatheree Drive | 1 mile (1.6 km) south of SH 242 |
| FM 1484[a] | FM 3083 | FM 2432 |
| FM 1485[a] | Loop 494 | Kidd Cemetery Road |
| FM 1488[a] | I-45 | FM 2978 |
| FM 1488[a] | FM 2978 | Mostyn Road |
| Direct connectors[b] | SH 242 | I-45 |
Roads operated by the MCTRA
| Number | Length (mi) | Length (km) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Formed | Removed | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SH 242 Toll | .14 | 0.23 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) west of I-45 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) south of SH 242 | 2015 | current | One-way direct connector exit ramp from I-45 northbound onto SH 242 westbound. Opened on May 11, 2015 and was toll-free until July 6. | |
| SH 242 Toll | .14 | 0.23 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) south of SH 242 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) east of I-45 | 2015 | current | One-way direct connector exit ramp from SH 242 westbound onto I-45 southbound. Opened on May 11, 2015 and was toll-free until July 6. | |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e These are pass through financing projects (shadow toll), where the state of Texas is repaying Montgomery County back over time based on number of vehicles that travel these sections of the road each year.
- ^ These direct connectors are being built by the MCTP but will be operated by the MCTRA.
References
- ^ "What is MCTP?". Montgomery County Transportation Program. Retrieved December 2, 2014.