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32-418: FBCTRA was established in 1996. The FBCTRA uses Harris County Toll Road Authority's EZ TAG system, which is interoperable with the following: Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority This Texas -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Harris County Toll Road Authority The Harris County Toll Road Authority ( HCTRA , pronounced "HECK-trah") maintains and operates

64-648: A 103-mile (165.8 km) toll road system in the Greater Houston area of Texas, United States. Its headquarters are located in Houston 's Fairbanks/Northwest Crossing neighborhood. HCTRA came into being in September 1983 after Harris County voters approved a $ 900 million bond referendum by a 7–3 margin to release up to $ 900 million in bonds to create two toll roads – the Hardy Toll Road and

96-531: A toll. The four lane roadway, running between I-610/West Loop and SH 6 , has been completed. The lanes opened during the second quarter of 2009. The Tomball Tollway consists of a 7.5-mile (12.1 km) segment of three toll lanes in each direction from Spring Cypress Road up to Sentinel Oaks in Pinehurst . Texas State Highway 249 serves as toll-free frontage roads for the Tomball Tollway. Tolling on

128-649: A unanimous vote by the Montgomery County Commissioners Court on May 28, 2019, the tolls were lifted, and ownership and maintenance of both flyover ramps were transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). As a result, HCTRA stopped collecting tolls on the flyover ramps. To help alleviate congestion on SH 288, HCTRA had planned to construct toll lanes in the median of the existing freeway. The route would begin at I-69/US 59 just south of Midtown and terminate at

160-582: Is only one direct connector ramp from Beltway 8 East to Hardy Toll Road North. Expected construction start date is unknown. This project (which began in early 2020) will add a total of four direct connectors: two from northbound Tomball Tollway to east and westbound SH 99 (Grand Parkway) , with the other two connecting to southbound Tomball Tollway from east and westbound SH 99. Ramps from SH 99 to southbound Tomball Tollway opened in July 2022; Tomball Tollway ramps to SH 99 remain under construction. Added capacity

192-638: Is planned for the following existing tollway segments: The project will connect I-610 via the South Post Oak exit (which terminates south of West Bellfort) to the northern terminus of the Fort Bend Parkway at US 90 Alternate with just over 3 miles (4.8 km) of tolled lanes. In October 2019, HCTRA began to examine plans for the segment utilizing the original 2003 schematics. Project is no longer being built, as of March 30, 2010. The planned project would have added four tolled lanes along

224-696: Is the first all-electronic toll road in the United States . The Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority (FBCTRA) operates the westernmost 8 miles (12.9 km) of the tollway. The Fort Bend Toll Road is a 8.9-mile (14.3 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 Sienna Ranch Road in Missouri City. As with

256-503: 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

288-559: The 3rd quarter of 2017, the system will be interoperable with the Kansas Turnpike Authority 's K-Tag and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority 's PikePass . The following toll roads (in order of first segment completion) form the current HCTRA system: 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

320-640: The Hardy Toll Road at I-610. Planning for the Hardy Toll Road connection into Downtown Houston was announced in 2000. The project will be completed in two phases. Phase I consists of moving a railroad line, right of way acquisition, and the construction of two overpasses. Phase II will be the construction of 4 toll lanes. Relocation of the rail line is expected to begin Fall of 2012. To relieve congestion on surface streets, direct connectors between Hardy Toll Road and Beltway 8 will be constructed. Currently there

352-529: The Hempstead Highway corridor between I-610 and the future Grand Parkway (SH 99) northwest segment. The project was one component of the complete US 290 corridor upgrade by TxDOT, which also included added capacity to US 290, a new HOV system parallel to the Hempstead Highway, and a possible commuter rail line in conjunction with METRO. However, in April 2012, it was announced by HCTRA that the primacy of

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384-839: The Hempstead Tollway was handed off to TxDOT. Construction of the tollway by TxDOT is not anticipated for several years. Although both of them are located within Montgomery County and were at the time owned and operated by Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA), HCTRA formerly collected tolls for MCTRA for two flyover ramps: one from northbound I-45 to SH 242 westbound and the other from westbound SH 242 to I-45 southbound near The Woodlands . Both flyover ramps were completed on May 11, 2015, and were tolled between July 6, 2015, and May 28, 2019. Both ramps solely utilized electronic toll collection , and required drivers to own an EZ TAG, TollTag or TxTag transponder . After

416-815: The Kansas border near Braman to tie in with the southern terminus of the Kansas Turnpike at the state line. That routing was included as part of the Federal Highway Act of 1956 which created the Interstate Highway System. As a result, the OTA could not obtain financing to build that proposed turnpike and turned the initial plans including surveys and blueprints over to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in 1956 for

448-524: The Kilpatrick Turnpike were closed and replaced with the new cashless pay-by-mail system known as PlatePay. Customers using PlatePay travel in the same lanes as customers when passing through a toll plaza. Instead of the toll being deducted from an account, drivers are mailed an invoice for their toll which is paid through an online portal or by check. Due to added costs with the new system, PlatePay toll rates are 75 percent higher on average than

480-671: The Lynchburg Ferry or the Washburn Tunnel. Nevertheless, HCTRA's involvement will include plans to improve the operations of both facilities, as well as much-needed repairs and upgrades. The HCTRA uses their own toll tag called the EZ TAG . The system has been interoperable with the Texas Department of Transportation 's TxTag and the North Texas Tollway Authority 's TollTag since 2003. Around

512-562: The Tomball Tollway is all-electronic; an EZ TAG, TollTag or TxTag are required for passage. No cash or pay-by-mail option is available for the Tomball Tollway. Construction of Phase I of the Tomball Tollway between Spring Cypress Road and the north end of the Tomball Bypass began in Fall 2013 and was finished on April 12, 2015. Phase II of the SH 249 (Tomball Tollway) project, in partnership with Montgomery County Toll Road Authority , extends

544-697: The Turner Turnpike near Stroud, Oklahoma . Also proposed in the 1990s, but never built was an extension of the Muskogee Turnpike from its current southeastern terminus at I-40 southeastward toward Poteau . Pikepass is the electronic toll collection system used by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority . Created in 1990 and launched on January 1, 1991, Pikepass provides an alternative to paying cash tolls. Most customers pay an initial $ 40 in prepaid tolls, which they can refill at their own convenience or have funds automatically withdrawn to replenish

576-622: The Westpark Tollway, the Fort Bend Toll Road is jointly operated with the FBCTRA. 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

608-671: The account if it falls below a threshold. Pikepass usage results in a 5% savings up front and customers with 20 or more uses of the Pikepass receive a credit of 5% of their toll charges for that month. As of June 2024, Pikepass can be used on all turnpikes in Kansas, Texas and most turnpikes in Florida and Colorado as well as Oklahoma. Oklahoma turnpikes also accept all transponders from Kansas ( K-TAG ) and Texas ( EZ TAG , TollTag , TxTag ), and SunPass from Florida, and ExpressToll from Colorado. On July 25, 2021, toll collection booths on

640-462: The construction of I-35 as a freeway on that same alignment, which was completed in several stages between 1958 and 1962. Also proposed but never built was a toll road roughly following what would later become I-35 between Oklahoma City and the Red River north of Gainesville, Texas that included a spur route veering from the main route north of Ardmore veering northeastward past Ada to tie in with

672-533: The end of 2024. As of November 20, 2024, the conversion to cashless tolling is complete with the Will Rogers Turnpike from Tulsa to the Missouri state line being the last turnpike to do so. The turnpike system has received criticism from many, most notably from Gary Richardson , former U.S. Attorney and candidate for Governor of Oklahoma in 2002 and 2018 , who has called for the abolition of

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704-632: The intersection of the proposed Grand Parkway (SH 99) for a total length of 26 miles (41.8 km). HCTRA would have maintain its segment north of Clear Creek at the Brazoria County Line. Shortly before construction began in November 2016, TxDOT's Toll Operations Division took control of the project from HCTRA. [REDACTED] Texas portal [REDACTED] U.S. Roads portal Texas State Highway 99 PikePass Oklahoma has an extensive turnpike system , maintained by

736-625: 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 . HCTRA also operates managed lanes that run along

768-710: The median of I-10/Katy Freeway between SH 6 and I-610 that opened in April 2009. The most recent project of HCTRA is the Tomball Tollway , which was completed in phases between 2015 and 2019. On March 1, 2020, operations of the Lynchburg Ferry and the Washburn Tunnel were transferred from Harris County Precinct 2 to the Harris County Toll Road Authority. There are no plans for HCTRA to implement tolls either

800-568: 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

832-572: The plaza) or through the Pikepass transponder system. In place of cash collection booths, PlatePay, a cashless pay-by-mail system, operates on many of the state's turnpikes, including the Kilpatrick Turnpike , Kickapoo Turnpike , and Creek Turnpike . Shortly after the Turner Turnpike was built in 1953, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority proposed other toll roads including one to be built from Oklahoma City north to

864-681: The previous cash rates. On January 25, 2022, the Kickapoo Turnpike closed its toll collection booths to begin PlatePay operations. On June 21, 2022, the H. E. Bailey Turnpike from Lawton to Oklahoma City and its spur to Norman went cashless. The remainder of the turnpike from Lawton to Texas was converted on July 27, 2022. On August 16, 2022, the Chicksaw Turnpike went cashless. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority plans to implement cashless tolling through PlatePay on all turnpikes by

896-463: The referendum from its infancy to its passage, along with the implementation of the plan for the roadway. HCTRA was 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

928-529: The state government through the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority . All of Oklahoma's turnpikes are controlled-access highways . The majority have at least four lanes, though the Chickasaw Turnpike is two lanes . Tolls on Oklahoma's turnpikes are collected through several methods, particular to each turnpike, involving mainline and sidegate toll plazas. Tolls can be paid through cash (at either unstaffed exact-change bays or staffed booths, depending on

960-652: The tollway north of the Tomball Bypass to Sentinel Oaks just north of Spring Creek in Montgomery County. From that point, the corridor will extend north to points beyond in Montgomery and Grimes Counties. Construction of Phase II commenced in Spring 2017 and was completed in December 2019. This 4-mile (6.4 km) long project will provide a connection between Downtown Houston and the current terminus of

992-679: Was constructed to help alleviate traffic off of I-45 North. The route begins at I-610 North between I-45 North and I-69/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 . The Westpark Tollway is a 22-mile (35.4 km) toll road starting in Uptown Houston and traveling westward parallel to sections of Westpark Drive and FM 1093 and terminating just past FM 723 in Fulshear, Texas . It

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1024-640: Was the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge in the east quadrant of the road system. From 1982 to 1994, the bridge, which was originally named in honor of local politician and entrepreneur Jesse H. Jones , was maintained by the Texas Turnpike Authority (now North Texas Tollway Authority ). As of February 26, 2011, the Sam Houston Tollway is a complete tolled beltway loop around Houston (minus a few minor sections that are freeways managed by TXDOT). The Hardy Toll Road

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