Austin Toll Roads (San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco: 2015, home, bankruptcy)

[Need4Camaro]

So a few things have been curiousing me about them.

Alot of them have toll booths, but these booths are just vacant leaving large plaza's only for TX Tag or Pay By Mail. Were these booths ever staffed or are they ever going to staff them? If not, can't they just tear them down?

I heard SR 130 isnt making any money. If it goes bankrupt, will they close the highway or will they keep it open? Also is the speed limit on SR130 85 MPH after you get out of Austin, and if so...is it faster to go that way to San Antonio than I-35 is traffic is similar?

Do you think they will ever extend TX-45 west of U.S. 183 at the half built interchange where they intersect to replace FM620 and make a western loop around Austin? FM620 is becoming a rough street to drive on.

[Trainwreck20]

A few of the tool booths used to be manned, but have not been in some time. It is much cheaper to leave them there than to tear them out, though.

As I understand it, SH130 in particular is profitable, but the company that owns it is not - they have some huge dead-weight projects in other places and went bankrupt (apparently they were counting on SH130 to be the golden goose). Not sure on the current state of finances, but think it is okay after bankruptcy.

Depending on where and when you start/stop your trip, it can be much faster then I-35 although occasionally a bit white-knuckle depending on the other drivers and the feral hogs.

Finally - probably not in my lifetime .

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

A few of the tool booths used to be manned, but have not been in some time. It is much cheaper to leave them there than to tear them out, though.

As I understand it, SH130 in particular is profitable, but the company that owns it is not - they have some huge dead-weight projects in other places and went bankrupt (apparently they were counting on SH130 to be the golden goose). Not sure on the current state of finances, but think it is okay after bankruptcy.

Depending on where and when you start/stop your trip, it can be much faster then I-35 although occasionally a bit white-knuckle depending on the other drivers and the feral hogs.

Finally - probably not in my lifetime .

I was also noticing the exit numbers on SH 130 are very high (like in the 400's I think) ...but the highway itself isnt anywhere near that long.. it seems as though they had intentions on making it longer than it currently is... Im guessing further south given the exit numbers ... was it supposed to go to Corpus Christi or something? Also on the northern end, will it ever be forseeable to extend it as a bypass to Waco and Temple toward the DFW region?

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

So a few things have been curiousing me about them.

Alot of them have toll booths, but these booths are just vacant leaving large plaza's only for TX Tag or Pay By Mail. Were these booths ever staffed or are they ever going to staff them? If not, can't they just tear them down?

I heard SR 130 isnt making any money. If it goes bankrupt, will they close the highway or will they keep it open? Also is the speed limit on SR130 85 MPH after you get out of Austin, and if so...is it faster to go that way to San Antonio than I-35 is traffic is similar?

Do you think they will ever extend TX-45 west of U.S. 183 at the half built interchange where they intersect to replace FM620 and make a western loop around Austin? FM620 is becoming a rough street to drive on.

The speed limit on 130 from the far north entrance down to where it takes off towards Lockhart is 80; at that point it goes to 85.



We find it much faster to go to San Antonio (we're just north of the north entrance) by taking 130 and over to Buda instead of I35. Though there are now a couple of places on 130 that do end up stop and go at rush hour.

[ashbeeigh]

Don’t use 130 to go to San Antonio unless for some reason by “San Antonio” you mean seguir. It’s snother 30 minutes to the outskirts of San Antonio. The only time I’ve taken 130 to SA was when it flooded over halloween in 2015 and 35 was closed st the San Marcos river. It took an extra hour to get home despite there being no traffic.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by Anywhere but here

Okay after bankruptcy, that is funny. Beg the legislature for a contract, then fail and beg the legislature for a bailout.

Well, as I understand it (which could be wrong), it wasn't that the toll road was not sustaining itself; it was just that the company had too many bad investments in other places. 130 is not cheap and it is often quite crowded these days.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

So a few things have been curiousing me about them.

Alot of them have toll booths, but these booths are just vacant leaving large plaza's only for TX Tag or Pay By Mail. Were these booths ever staffed or are they ever going to staff them? If not, can't they just tear them down?

I heard SR 130 isnt making any money. If it goes bankrupt, will they close the highway or will they keep it open? Also is the speed limit on SR130 85 MPH after you get out of Austin, and if so...is it faster to go that way to San Antonio than I-35 is traffic is similar?

Do you think they will ever extend TX-45 west of U.S. 183 at the half built interchange where they intersect to replace FM620 and make a western loop around Austin? FM620 is becoming a rough street to drive on.

In the original days of 45 and 130 they had manned tollbooths. The 183A north portion right by Lakeline Mall was the first TX Tag only tolled section (just that one section where there is not enough room).

That was a "success" and they decided all new roads would simply be TX Tag. Shortly thereafter they removed people from the tollbooths and blocked them off. They never did take down the tollbooths. Waste of money if you ask me.

The problem with extending 45 west of 183 is right of way. There are so many businesses in that stretch from Pecan Park to Anderson Mill Rd. I believe I read that would be the only portion to be considered at this point.

There is a study on 620 from 2222 to Anderson Mill but it's in its early phase. The scoop that I'm hearing is that 620 will be 6 lane divided highway with Michigan Left Turns at key spots. That is the final improvement from 2222 to Anderson Mill.

So in about 20 years 45 will meet up with Anderson Mill and 620 will be a divided highway 6 lanes to 2222 then 6 lanes from the Bypass Road to Quinlan, then 6 lanes through Lakeway. The other portions will be a divided highway 4 lanes.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I was also noticing the exit numbers on SH 130 are very high (like in the 400's I think) ...but the highway itself isnt anywhere near that long.. it seems as though they had intentions on making it longer than it currently is... Im guessing further south given the exit numbers ... was it supposed to go to Corpus Christi or something? Also on the northern end, will it ever be forseeable to extend it as a bypass to Waco and Temple toward the DFW region?

The exit numbers kinda-sorta parallel those of IH 35, perhaps in case "they" ever swap the toll designation for the Interregional Highway designation. Of course, if that swap ever happens, some cousin in the sign-making business will be in for a nice payday, as the exits north of the merge with IH 35 will all change.



It seems SH 130 was actually designed as a WEST Texas highway back in the planning stages; so all bets are off when it comes to logic and reason.

[ScoPro]

Yeah, that section of 130 from the 45/Buda cutoff down to Seguin is pretty useless. It would help if it was extended straight down to I-37 to facilitate travel to Corpus & the Valley. But travel to San Antonio? Nope, did that once - I-10 from Seguin to SA was worse than Buda to SA via I-35, what with only two lanes.

I heard the Governor lifted the freeze on the expansion (adding a lane each way) of 130 from 71 up to 45 in P-Ville/Round Rock. Is that true? If so, thank goodness. That freeze was a stupid move in the first place. In fact they should be adding 2 lanes each way instead of one because inevitably the east side of the metro area is going to grow & grow & grow.

[mesmer]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

The exit numbers kinda-sorta parallel those of IH 35, perhaps in case "they" ever swap the toll designation for the Interregional Highway designation. Of course, if that swap ever happens, some cousin in the sign-making business will be in for a nice payday, as the exits north of the merge with IH 35 will all change.



It seems SH 130 was actually designed as a WEST Texas highway back in the planning stages; so all bets are off when it comes to logic and reason.

I think the exit numbers might have something to do with this very-dead project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Texas_Corridor

But I don't have anything to back that up.