Did SH130 toll road improve traffic in Austin? (San Antonio, San Marcos: house, living)

[MustangDave01]

The construction of 130 caused major interruptions for folks coming in from other cities, such as Mustang Ridge, Lockhart, Luling, Seguin, and San Marcos. Since U.S. 183 had to be torn up to put in 130, all commuters had to find other routes into Austin. A few months after 130 was completed in that area, U.S. 183 was torn up again so the 45 toll road could be constructed which has caused even further traffic problems for commuters. Now, the people in Mustang Ridge and Creedmoor have little access to 183. The majority of these people use 183 not the toll roads. I see very little use of the toll roads and most people commuting into Austin are using 1327 to get to 1625 or 183 so now there is even more congestion on these small country roads. If toll roads help Austin, it is not showing now or in the near future.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by tfresca

The toll is way too high. They should lower the toll to something reasonable. There's never any traffic on it because it can cost $2 to travel one way. You drive over New Jersey in a day and not spend that much. I imagine these roads have to be losing money.

False. I drove from NYC to Philly one time and my toll was over $30. A lot of that was the NJ Turnpike costs.

[AmberAzeneth]

Nope, not one bit.

[verybadgnome]

Looking at the 2009 Traffic Counts on SH 130 they range from a low of 7,800 in Georgetown to a high of 28,000 just south of US 79:

http://campotexas.org/pdfs/Traffic%2...%20website.pdf

Much of that traffic would have been on IH-35 - and to a lesser degree FM 973 and US 183 - if SH 130 had not been built so I would have to say it has prevented IH-35 congestion increasing faster than it would have without it.

[ScoPro]

I like the toll roads, as they are a big convenience for me and my family.

[jobert]

They need to just need to turn SH 130 into I-35 and get it over with - there's pretty much no other viable solution. The longer they wait, the more our local economy will suffer.

[BentBow]

The right to travel, makes toll roads unconstitutional.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by MustangDave01

The construction of 130 caused major interruptions for folks coming in from other cities, such as Mustang Ridge, Lockhart, Luling, Seguin, and San Marcos. Since U.S. 183 had to be torn up to put in 130, all commuters had to find other routes into Austin. A few months after 130 was completed in that area, U.S. 183 was torn up again so the 45 toll road could be constructed which has caused even further traffic problems for commuters. Now, the people in Mustang Ridge and Creedmoor have little access to 183. The majority of these people use 183 not the toll roads. I see very little use of the toll roads and most people commuting into Austin are using 1327 to get to 1625 or 183 so now there is even more congestion on these small country roads. If toll roads help Austin, it is not showing now or in the near future.

Austin is overloaded with tollroads, and probably has the most per capita than other metro areas in Texas. I feel sorry for those that commute very far. But, I-35 is a giant ****hole through Austin. I had the pleasure of riding on it last week. The double-decker section heading South has some nice view of Downtown Austin and the hills though. The only thing that kept me sane (along with mary jane) during that traffic jam.

[Austinitegirl]

Originally Posted by cBach

False. I drove from NYC to Philly one time and my toll was over $30. A lot of that was the NJ Turnpike costs.

Exactly. A little perspective is a good thing.

[someguyatx]

It improved traffic in certain areas but overall not really