Austinites Speak Out On TxDOT's Mopac Expansion Plan

Here's a summary:

Construction on managed lanes could begin late next year

$110 million plan

One managed lane in each direction, on the inside

All current lane widths reduced from 12ft to 11ft

Shoulder would be converted to a lane

Sound barriers could be added

"You're going to pay an increased fee to get on this lane", said Marcus Cooper of TxDOT

Fees have not been decided

KXAN.com Feedback Forum

James 04-09-2007 22:54:04
Any time they want to improve something that has been around for 30 years they want us to pay again. What about all the money being returned to federal government for highway expenditures? Why not do away with TxDot or should we say TxEur.

Paolo 04-10-2007 00:05:34
Why should I have to pay taxes at the gas pump for the roads and then pay for a road that is already there. Some pavement and some striping does not give TXDOT the authority to tax us twice. If you build a NEW road then yes tolls may be appropriate, but on an existing roadway, no way.

DJ 04-10-2007 01:24:51
I don't think they should make the lanes 11 feet instead of 12 to fit in 2 extra lanes and then make us pay to use the 2 new lanes that were made virtually by the old lanes. I could see building an upper deck (brand new roads ) and then tolling them but not using existing roads and revamping them to fit in 2 new lanes...I also think it will open Mopac up for more accidents by making us drive closer to eachother. Not a good plan at all ! I think TXDOT is confused about what New verses Old means.

thanks for screwing us!! 04-10-2007 04:35:42
Liberal swine at their finest once again, make it sound appealing to you then you realize you are getting bent over. Wolves in sheeps clothing.

dp 04-10-2007 06:35:59
Any elected official thinks that tolling existing roads is a good idea, needs to be impeached. We have the money to build roads, but it is used to build courthouses and other garbage. We have spoken as voters we do not want tolls.

JES 04-10-2007 08:13:59
On Mopac the road is so conjested at morning and evening travel, and now you want another left lane plus make it a toll , well how will you get to that toll lane from many of the on ramps and exits. The crossing into and the exit from these lanes will make the traffic more dangerous. Sounds like if another lane will help Mopac, there should be no fee to use it. Simple math.

http://salcostello.blogspot.com/ 04-10-2007 08:49:33
1) TxDOT wants to use our tax dollars and publicly owned MoPAC right of way (our existing freeway) to create a toll tax (managed lanes) - THAT�s A DOUBLE TAX! I SAY NO TOLLS ON ROADS WE�VE ALREADY PAID FOR!

2) Narrowing lanes will increase accidents and deaths.

3) The managed lanes will create more gridlock as people try to cross over 3 lanes to enter and exit the center managed lanes! Look at freeway 91 managed lanes ($1.00 a mile!) in California.

dw 04-10-2007 10:01:00
It's a terrible idea! What you are proposing is just a SHORT TERM PATCH. A short term patch is a waste of money. I'm all for toll roads if you can build the upper deck along MoPac with FEWER EXIT ramps. I would think that those of us who live out far North or Northwest or South would be happy to pay a toll for new roads that will enable us to avoid the traffic "parking lots" and scurry past the "central" part of Austin over MoPac... (which is basically from Far West to 15th/Enfield). We can not stop growth...Austin already tried that and look at the mess we're in! Build with the future in mind!

austin native 04-10-2007 10:02:27
The additional lanes created should be free to the public. No double taxes. Crossing back and forth over three lanes of traffic to ride less than five miles in a managed lane is insane!

txbighair 04-10-2007 10:32:44
I think we need to go for it! The traffic is HORRIBLE in south Austin! South Austin needs to deal with change. It takes longer to get anywhere in South Austin. We are a big city now- even though we dont want to admit it. The transporation options need to grow with it as well.

mojorider 04-10-2007 10:46:25
I agree with txbighair. I have seen both sides of the toll road coin and originally opposed the plans all together. Coming from Taylor into Round Rock once took 45 minutes. That trip now takes 25 and the cost is negligable against my time. I now live southwest of Austin and am gridlocked to 'past the river' everyday from 290. Growth is happening. Like it or not. TXDot expects more than 100,000 vehicles to pass through the Y at Oak Hill in the near future. All options need to be explored to keep Austin moving. I am certain that those in opposition would be even further enraged by 2+ hour commutes. What good are wide lanes on MoPac if you are going 5 miles per hour?

DBP 04-10-2007 10:55:51
I'm new to Austin, from Houston, has anyone thought of using elevated HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes. They are restricted topeople who live in outlying areas and can carpool. It's really helped Houston. Txdot what about it??

I Carpool... 04-10-2007 11:55:51
...and I hate this idea. It will just take two lanes away and make the remaining lanes more hazardous. Ever seen the size of some of the trucks, trailers and SUVs around here? They barely fit in the lanes as they are now, and will become a real menace in narrower lanes. Think people have trouble staying in their lanes now? What happened when parking lot designers narrowed the slots? That's right, now people take up two... STUPID IDEA. Double deck the thing like I-35, or live with it as is. I vote for the latter.

gbizz 04-10-2007 13:45:07
What we need to do is rethink the whole project yet again. Instead of another lane overhead for cars, an overhead, enclosed skylift that follows Mopac and dumps into downtown. These "pods" would carry up to 6 people and you could have a LOT of them travelling around town. This seems to be the cleanest and least impacting idea, but I haven't seen anyone else come up with a better plan.

yee haw! 04-10-2007 15:17:46
The Springfield MonoRail! MONORAIL!!!

bikebob 04-10-2007 22:10:07
Ride a bike through the neighborhoods; enjoy the birds, trees, and quiet. Arrive relaxed at work. I ditched my car eight years ago and have never loved Austin so much.

Dale Johnson 04-10-2007 22:12:29
This Mopac expansion proposal seems like a lame bandaid fix for a real problem that needs a real answer. Living in NW Round Rock I've seen the traffic hazzards of bottle-necking caused by the I-35, Toll Road interchange. The Mopac bottle-neck would be much more severe in my opinion. Thank You KXAN for giving me a voice.

Marie G. 04-10-2007 22:13:49
You can wrap it with a bow or a ribbon I still am not on board. I want real solutions without smaller lanes or higher costs to counter act overpaid politicans trying to figure it out.

John H. Gray, Jr. 04-10-2007 22:14:18
Anything to improve traffic flow. Will gladly pay. City officials push the money wasting Cap Metro at the expense of more/better roads. Doesn't anyone have a functioning brain. People (in any significant numbers) will not give up the freedom and flexibility of their vehicle for an inefficient and ineffective bus system or an even less effective rail pretense which could not move enough people to even make a dent.

Erin T 04-10-2007 22:24:02
No one is asking the big questions: "We've already paid for roads with our tax dollars, so where did that money go? Where is the accountability for our sky high property tax dollars? Why is the Austin area disproportionately financing the roads for the entire state of Texas for perpetuity? Compared to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, our population is lower, our wages are lower, our housing is higher and now we're facing 2 - 4 times the road taxes! Why is it taking so long to get the commuter train (which we've also already paid for)up and running? Could it be that CTRMA wants to delay it to "encourage" us to use/pay for the toll roads?

Louis 04-10-2007 22:27:20
I work for TXDoT. The Federal Government gives TXDot our money, over three million a year for building and improving roadways. Sometime in the near future the money will be cut back. I like my job, but there are too many indian chiefs that make too much money and they treat the people like me like ".. hit". They steal work time and hide it. They cover up and make up their policies. I was physically abused by a manager, I reported it and with manipulation changed the whole story to cover it up. So, with that out, We the people are getting *******ered into paying out more and more so we can line the pockets of those who are greedy. Let those who want to say , Yeah , I'll be glad to pay so I can get where I want to go ..faster. Then you pay for managed roads//toll roads. Or move out of Austin. By the way, there are many roads that are being tolled throughout Texas. GREED!

Marie G. 04-10-2007 22:40:01
Why are we who dispute this not more organized? We must and are allowed to organize!!!!!

JJ 04-10-2007 22:53:43
I'm an ex Californian. Down near San Diego they had a SINGLE CAR POOL LANE. In the morning, it opened going South, and closed after rush hour. In the evening, it opened going North and again closed after rush hour. It was the perfect idea for heading off the rush hour congestion (2-3+ hour commutes!!!) It takes up less space, opens in the direction needed, and you don't have to try and carve two extra lanes out of the already compacted MOPAC. Before you know it, the CITY will invoke it's EMINANT DOMAIN and start shaving more acreage off of MOPAC residents, who already are getting the raw end of the deal!

JJ 04-10-2007 23:00:06
I like that JJ.

The Dude 04-11-2007 00:26:58
I'm with the Monorail guy. Monorail! Monorail! Monorail! I think we should just rename Mopac to be the Matlock Expressway. That would be just as helpful.

Actually, I live next to the Cedar Park tollway. If my wife and I want to drive the four miles from our house to the existing free 183 using the new Toll Road, I'm going to have to pay $240/mo for the privilege. Let them toll the existing road and they'll be using your tax dollars to screw you even more.

4 miles = $240/mo. I'm very happy to sit in traffic for ten minutes longer. I can use the money I'm not spending on tolls to buy a better car and enjoy the ride. If the state is so keen on erecting toll roads everywhere and using our already paid roads to do it, I want a refund on gasoline taxes. I have a feeling I'll be waiting a while for that.

Larry 04-11-2007 06:31:31
As anyone who's ever lived in Houston will tell you, HOV lanes (which is what this is) are completely ineffective, they don't help at all. Just make it a regular lane. Why does there always have to be some complicated hocus-pocus idea? Simply adding one more lane would help, for a while, but even that is not going to be enough in a couple more years. The toll thing is getting out of hand, and somehow we need to reign these dolts in and prevent another fiasco, which is what this is shaping up to be. Speak up, y'all. One thing I can tell you, I will not pay a single toll, period. I and everybody I know, will go out of our way to avoid it. So how effective does that make your toll system now? I already pay taxes nine ways from Sunday, and I am NOT going to pay again. It's just one too may layers, too many times paying for the same thing.

haha 04-11-2007 07:40:14
If you don't like it, THEN DON'T USE IT!!!!!!!!

Concerned Citizen 04-11-2007 07:49:52
What you don't know about state agencies - Many higher-ups in state agencies are "Double Dipping", including TxDot. What this means is that they have reached retirement age, are receiving pension, but are still working and receiving a salary as well. It is legal, but unethical, in my opinion. There is where a lot of your tax money goes. Plus, these agencies are so over-staffed, it is time to take the ax to them. I'm also VERY afraid of Perry's plan of the Trans-Texas Corridor. Why didn't we get a vote on this???

The new toll roads on Loop 1 also plugged up traffice even more. I come in from Parmer and it used to get backed up around 183 before the tolls opened. Now it is a parking lot starting at Parmer. People are paying for that???

JJ 04-11-2007 08:03:45
Did I mention that the SINGLE CAR POOL lane in San Diego is FREE with taxpayers dollars at work? Of course, here in Texas the make you pay for everything. (Everything IS BIGGER in Texas, especially TAXES)

Debbie 04-11-2007 08:16:20
Just the facts that a stalled car will completely stop traffic in one lane, or that entering or exiting the tolled lanes requires multiple lane changes---I see more accidents and, therefore, more traffic congestion, not to mention more fatalities.

S 04-11-2007 09:38:17
I don't see why tax payer dollars are being used to build sound proof barriers along Mopac. It's not like Mopac just sprang up overnight. Those people bought those houses knowing it was there and I would guess they heard the noise when visiting the house before buying it. It's just another example of whiny people thinking they are owed something because of the decisions they make. Let them build there own walls or move!

Sally 04-11-2007 09:39:41
Why aren't they putting a sound barrier in front of TxDOT? Those that live close to Camp Ben Hubbard will get a great deal of increased noise and pollution. The TxDot buildings don't provide much of a sound barrier.

Terri 04-11-2007 09:44:07
It doesn't matter how much we complain.They will do what ever they want to fill their pockets anyway!

DJ 04-11-2007 09:55:47
OK I'm just wondering why they have the money to build this and yet The flyovers for Mopac and Ben White are still sitting unfinished . The ramps are there and have been there for 10 years or so but no fly over to connect them . Whats up with that ? it would be nice to just exit a ramp on mopac to head east on ben white.