If an authorization bill fails, would private toll projects in North Texas be affected?
Two major private toll projects in North Texas already are approved and would not be halted. Officials have approved billion-dollar deals for the North Tarrant Express and the reconstruction of LBJ Freeway, both of which will be a mix of toll and free lanes. In addition, work on the DFW Connector in Grapevine is expected to continue. How could drivers be affected? If CDA authority expires, local officials will have one less option to move big roads forward. If NTTA can’t, or won’t, build a road in the future, then Texas will have to use state and federal tax dollars to build the roads as free roads. That’s a good deal for drivers, but state officials say they don’t have enough money to afford the number of new roads sought by Dallas-area leaders. Michael A.
