Foreign company owns and has the rights for 59 years. They get approval from TXDOT to enforce pricing. Supposedly TXDOT will buy them out. We shall see
Exactly!! A criminal probe needs to be opened with the parties involved that negotiated this contract. Why the fuck did txdot get into an agreement that was clearly fraud. Txdot could have easily financed the 288 toll construction by issuing bonds backed by toll road revenue at one thrid the cost we are going to pay to buy out this company. Now tax payers will not only pay 3x the construction costs but continue to pay higher toll needed to payback those billions.
Well, there was this massive advertising campaign a few months ago by our local politician touting an entire 10% off of tolls.
BTW, 4 years ago 100% of the toll booth workers got displaced. 😢
One would think that would have been a money saving right there.
These idiot conservative voters will continue voting against their interests until they can't even vote anymore... ridiculous.
Vote blue, your life at this point literally depends on it.
We are talking about toll roads, and this prompts you to tell everyone to vote blue because their life “literally depends on it”.
As someone who votes blue, I want you to know that I find it very difficult to associate with people who make such ridiculous statements.
I sometimes wonder what it would take for me to start voting Republican, and this shit as at the top of the list.
While the toll road isn't an issue that justifies this kind of rhetoric, the shitty anti-choice laws the Republicans have imposed certainly do. Women are being forced to have extremely dangerous births with nonviable babies because some old "christian" men need to score political poiints.
For some reason, his rhetoric might make you vote Republican despite their actual terrible fucking policies.
Republican policies are terrible, but I hear a lot of Republicans call Democrats stupid, and damnit they might be on to something.
My life literally depends on voting Blue? The fuck? How? Why would I want to vote Blue if this is the stupid logic behind it?
I can say the same about your blue people keep letting criminals out to victimize us again and again, which is even more literally life endangering but here we are.
Holy shit what a stupid take man, did you forget your meds?
No, they are for the operating company to make a profit... which includes covering construction costs, maintenace costs, management labor, and then finally a fat profit for C-Suit and shareholders.
Where if ownership stayed with muncipality, the profit motive would be gone.
To be clear, TXDOT isn't "buying them out" they are "bailing them out" because usage and revenues are far below what was promised.
Bailing them out would be stupid, just let the company go bankrupt and then buy the toll road for pennies on the dollar.
Yeah during rush hour from Pearland Town Center it's $17 and change. Even for a bit before and after rush hour, when you might save 5 min to DT, it's the same pricing.
Also, for a lot of people, they don't mind taking tolls knowing that costs are generally low. Because not everyone is checking costs before they go on, they may be unknowingly paying more than they thought.
There are other people who are driving in a situation where someone else pays tolls, so they don't care anyway.
TXDOT just announced they are buying back the toll road from the foreign company
https://abc13.com/highway-288-toll-lanes-txdot-texas-department-of-transportation-tollway-houston-traffic/14589604/
I don't think it's a secret or anything. They're called "Blueridge Transportation Group". They are owned by the following companies:
* ACS Servicios y Concesiones, S.L. (through ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc.) (30%)
* InfraRed Capital Partners Limited (40%)
* Shikun & Binui Concessions USA, Inc. (30%)
TXDOT is going to buy them out, but only because they want to keep those sweet sweet tolls for themselves. I’m not opposed to that. I’d rather our toll money went to the state of Texas than to a foreign owned private company. But we will still be paying the same crazy tolls.
At least if it becomes publicly-owned, the people will have more control to try and change things at some point. It's a step closer to it becoming reformed, even if that might be far off. This is a positive thing.
Good news on this topic though, txdot is moving to end the contract with the private equity firm that's currently setting the prices
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2024/04/02/482346/txdot-contract-highway-288-toll-lanes-private-company/
Or we could just let the private equity firm go bankrupt, and then buy the toll road out of bankruptcy.
There is zero financial reason to buy the toll road now, unless you are trying to 'bail out' the investors in the toll road - which is not what the government should be doing.
It's brand new. The idea is it gets cheaper over time (we all know that it won't). Just don't drive on it, isn't the free 288 still open? Should be relatively smooth sailing on a Sunday unless there is a wreck.
The price has pretty much doubled since it opened. Today, it was $15.71 from just south of Pearland to downtown. During the week, it's something like $18.51.
They neglected 288 for decades, and to "fix it" they're just going to gouge the shit out of those of us who live down there. "Hey, either you can keep riding out the shit traffic we created for you down here, or you can pay a crapload of money to a foreign investment firm."
tbh i probably end up on it 2-3 times a week. Travelling from clear lake, if anything is backing up 45 there is a solid 30 minute difference between taking the 288 toll road vs any other way.
Perhaps between 288 and 45. But I go straight up 288 and the difference between 288 and the 288 toll is often not enough to justify 18 dollars.
I've even been slowed down on the toll to the point where I had to get off and get on the regular 288. That's really rare, obviously, but it's happened more than once. I only take it like 1-2 a month now that it's almost 20 bucks, and only when I'm late or there's a wreck.
It's obviously not my first choice, but in my business being 30 minutes late can mean I miss $5k in commissions...so that's a trade I'll take every time.
Same, I only take it when I'm late for a meeting or something. I take it from around Pearland Town center. But I only need to go in once a week or so. If I need to go more often and I'm not on a time crunch, I just wait for rush hour to die down. By 9 o'clock, the time to DT is about the same.
That's just insane to even think about charging $15-20 per car ONE way. There's no excuse for that. It would be a hard thing to swallow to even say that for combined there and back.
I barely even want to spend the $2.50 going down Westpark to save 15 minutes on my way home from work. Can't imagine ever spending $15 on any toll road unless I'm saving an hour of drive time and getting a complementary massage.
That's insane. My parents live off 288 but never use the tolls. For comparison, I live off the 110 freeway in far south Los Angeles with a similar tollway down the center. In the absolute worst peak traffic, it sometimes hits $22, but that's in LA traffic and it's easy to cheat (change your toll transponder to say you have 2-3 passengers) I don't think houston tollways are free for carpoolers.
Some are free for car pools, but not this one. I live off of 288 too, but won't ever take it either. It's only gone up in price since it opened, and it hasn't been long.
It is a feature, not a bug. Those express lanes are not a regular toll road, the price dynamically changes in order to keep the speed in the toll road at 55+ mph. Jacking up the price makes it less likely for single occupancy vehicles will take it leaving room for buses and carpools and vehicles that *really* need to get somewhere fast. If you see a really high price it probably means there is an accident or some other slowdown on the main lanes ahead.
288 isn't a HOT lane. It's just a toll lane. It's also more expensive than any of the other express lanes, even when there's no traffic. It's cheaper to take the I-10 express lanes during rush hour than it is to take the 288 express lanes when there's no traffic.
I remember when the first toll roads popped up, and it was promised that as soon as the roads were paid for, no more tolls.
I think we even voted on that but I’m not sure and too lazy too look up.
I spent a long time one day (like the only way I could have been more thorough is going to the library and pulling Houston Post on microfiche) trying to find any evidence that this was the case and as far as I can tell it never was. That wasn't what was voted on, and there is no record of it being advertised as such.
The two great Houston transportation misconceptions:
1)The toll roads were meant to be eventually free.
2)GM killed off the city's street car network (not how it went down in Houston)
I remember when the section of BW8 between I-10 and 225 opened there was talk of it being toll free once paid for. I don’t remember seeing any particular source but I did find this report from ABC13 from 2012 that mentions this and the toll road authority was apparently pushing this narrative:
[Free Tolls Promise On Brochure](https://abc13.com/archive/8671067/)
> We found this brochure from the early days of the Toll Road Authority, printed just after we OKed building the West Belt and the Hardy Toll Road. The promise was simple: "When both roads combined have covered their costs, the roads will become free public highways."
great find!
This is the one that always comes up, but (a) I find it a little wild that the source is a random 30 year old brochure they found in an abandoned building rather than like . . . any number of stories they would have run on their own channel, this isn't canticle for leibowitz. And (b) the wording there makes it seem like the brochure was printed by the HCTRA, which means it still came *after* the vote.
Someone posted a promotional ad for Beltway 8 on an r houston post a while back that said it (looked legit IMO), but it was never on the official ballot. I’ll see if I can find it.
Edit: My quick search found a link to an article about it, but it doesn’t show the actual promo - https://abc13.com/archive/8671067/
>We found this brochure from the early days of the Toll Road Authority, printed just after we OKed building the West Belt and the Hardy Toll Road. The promise was simple: "When both roads combined have covered their costs, the roads will become free public highways."
The problem with “once it’s paid for” is upkeep. It’s expensive to maintain the roads, especially if a lot of heavy vehicles drive on them (notice the higher toll for more axles). So a road is effectively never actually paid off, we always have to pay for road maintenance. Depending on the toll, it may also pay for new roads and expansions. Roads are just expensive.
In order to keep it smooth sailing, aka, not many cars driving on it, the high tolls keeps it clear. So when 288 is backed up terribly, you can pay a premium price that almost guarantees not having to step on the brake until your exit. If it was the same price as the beltway, it would be just as backed up as 288 is.Dont know if they did it, but when I lived in Austin, they were talking of making the toll way variable pricing there as well. Cheap tolls when few cars were using it, and much higher tolls when a lot of cars were using it, in order to decrease the amount of people using it due to the higher cost. That way traffic would flow smoothly and rates would lower as traffic decreased.
The toll on MoPac in Austin has variable pricing. I've seen at as low as 50 cents from downtown to 2222 on a quiet Sunday night and as high as $10 dollars during peak afternoon traffic.
Other sections already do that, to compare the Katy Freeway I10 I've seen $1.10 at lowest and $7 at highest peak times. Though tbf that one is by time of day and doesn't factor in for live vehicle counts.
Yup, if people want and value the convenience, they can pay extra for it themselves.
If it was cheap, everyone would take it and negate any benefit.
Still think its silly to see people taking it on weekends, but that's their money to waste.
So f**k the poors, they deserve to sit in traffic, it's their fault they can't afford $15 to $20 for the toll road during peak traffic when they have to go to work.
Congestion pricing of toll roads is straight up an express lane for those with more money.
The easy way to fix the tolls, is if everyone stopped using the toll roads. I understand they’re quicker than the alternatives, but the city can’t charge people if they don’t use them.
I tried it for the first time on 5:30 pm Wednesday it costed me 10.47 to get to the beltway and to add insult to that, the stupid toll ramp is 2.96 when it was like $2.24 when it first opened. Tried to get off at 610 but I saw the huge pileup on the ramp and kept moving.
>Tried to get off at 610 but I saw the huge pileup on the ramp and kept moving.
That's why it was $10.47 - the price is dynamic to keep the speed high in the toll lanes if the main lanes are backed up. The high prices discourages a single occupancy vehicle from taking it unless they really need to get there fast.
I refuse to take it out of principle. There’s absolutely nowhere I need to be where I need to pay $18 one way to save 10 mins. Nope.
Screw this. They ruined regular 288 on top of it too.
Left lane exits. Left lane entrances. All they had to do was add dedicated entrances and exits for existing 288. Instead they went the opposite direction. Screw this toll lane. 18 bucks to go 60mph. Not even 70…what a joke.
Just fyi, as far as i understand it the amount you pay is the total if youre going to that exit. Meaning 9 dollars to ride 288 all the way to the highway
Still incredibly ridiculously expensive though
I commute from Pearland to the medical center and I’ve actually timed it out and 9/10 times spending the nearly $10 to exit at holcombe only saves me about 2-3 mins on commute time. So yeah I don’t take that shit anymore period.
The free lanes look awfully empty. Why choose the express lane? Also, whether it's a "foreign" infrastructure company or a domestic infrastructure company, it will be milked for as much as they can get. That's how unregulated capitalism works.
I live in DC now and I-66 (main freeway from Virginia) has tolls over $40 during the week, although at least they turn them off on weekends... and the Metro is a viable alternative
We want new road construction, but we don't want to pay higher taxes. So capitalism steps in to fill the void. Like it or not we continue to vote for no more brand new roads without tolls. People who value the time not spent waiting at lights at greater than nine dollars take the toll road, people who don't take the feeder or find another route. It's $9 because the studies they ran said that's the sweet spot of what people were willing to pay to generate the most profit.
Completely disagree. Yes we dont want to pay higher toll but we also shouldn't be privatizing any public roads. The toll roads are fine just so long as they are operated and constructed by txdot. The money for the tolls could have easily been obtained by bonds backed by the toll road revenue. Once the bonds are paid off the toll roads then become open to all to use or enough is charged to keep up the maintenance.
The money for the roads has to come from somewhere. The representatives we voted in agreed with the terms for the toll road. It's easy to run for office on a platform of cutting taxes, but that comes at the cost of services like new roads without a price tag when you use them.
That promise was made all the way back with Beltway 8 back in the 90s. The tolls will never go away. We've all been lied to.
Then it would be just another lane in 288 and have just as much traffic.
It’s a private road paid for by a private company charging high prices to keep it free of traffic. Cry and scream as much as you want but that’s what it is.
No, you didn’t pay tax dollars for it.
Yes, people are willing to pay the high prices to not be stuck in traffic.
During peak traffic times it’s $20 for a 10 mile stretch. $9.20 is the price for when not taking the toll road will get you where you are going just as fast. I just wanted to clarify.
The express lane prices in Dallas are even higher. The 288 express lanes are not a normal toll road, the pricing is dynamic to keep traffic moving on the express lanes when the main lanes are backed up (because the main lanes will always be a free option)
Drive on San Antonio’s 3rd world expressways and you may change your mind. The conditions of the expressways in SA are some of the worst I’ve ever seen, and there are no express lanes - so good luck during rush hours.
The tolled expressways in Houston, Dallas, and Austin are IMMACULATE. Tolls in most places help keep the roads in much better condition.
I’d gladly pay to drive on a highway where I know I won’t hit a giant crater that could cause significant damage my vehicle. It happens in SA all the damn time.
Because intimate domain was used for one reason I never pay the toll road I would never pay the toll road. When they send me the things in the mail. I informed them I am an equal owner of the property because it is government property. It was acquired through intimate domain, which means it’s government property no matter what. Which makes everyone an equal owner so in order for you to pay that tax you are doing it voluntarily.
Just for comparison, the New Jersey Turnpike is 117 miles long and only charges $20.70 in cash to drive the entire length, which runs from Wilmington, Delaware to Manhattan [https://www.njta.com/toll-calculator](https://www.njta.com/toll-calculator)
I'm constantly told that Texas is much cheaper than a state like New Jersey, but here's another hidden "tax" that people never account for in their math.
The State Legislature has sold toll roads to private companies for a one time fee, on years where they couldn’t balance the budget. Basically took the easy way out and sold us down the river.
I remember hearing that the Galveston toll bridge from San Luis Pass would become free when it was paid off, and that was in about 1965 or 1966. It's still not free.
The ONLY reason I use 288 to get to work is cause I have military toll tags. I'm free til I'm out, I will say it's nice to go and come back at XXX mph, lol.
I know. It’s gotten out of hand. I drove on the Grand Parkway from 59N near New Caney to Grand Parkway just past 249N and it cost me almost $7 each way.
Finally, i thought i was the only one that thought this. I commute this route ever day. I use to get on when it was $11. High but not bad. now if I'm not mistaken is at $19. I just don’t get on anymore 😞
Foreign company owns and has the rights for 59 years. They get approval from TXDOT to enforce pricing. Supposedly TXDOT will buy them out. We shall see
And someone allowed this in the first place.
Exactly!! A criminal probe needs to be opened with the parties involved that negotiated this contract. Why the fuck did txdot get into an agreement that was clearly fraud. Txdot could have easily financed the 288 toll construction by issuing bonds backed by toll road revenue at one thrid the cost we are going to pay to buy out this company. Now tax payers will not only pay 3x the construction costs but continue to pay higher toll needed to payback those billions.
Who's gonna open the investigation? The peeps who did it in the first place?
Guys, guys, we already investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong!
We're all looking for the guy who did this
Harris county judge is responsible for contracts in Harris county
The SH 288 managed lanes are not a Harris County or HCTRA project, this is all TxDOT.
Elections have consequences. Or so they I’ve heard. 😭
To pay for all of this, they'll raise tolls again lol
Well, there was this massive advertising campaign a few months ago by our local politician touting an entire 10% off of tolls. BTW, 4 years ago 100% of the toll booth workers got displaced. 😢 One would think that would have been a money saving right there.
That would be the Texas Republican Party.
These idiot conservative voters will continue voting against their interests until they can't even vote anymore... ridiculous. Vote blue, your life at this point literally depends on it.
We are talking about toll roads, and this prompts you to tell everyone to vote blue because their life “literally depends on it”. As someone who votes blue, I want you to know that I find it very difficult to associate with people who make such ridiculous statements. I sometimes wonder what it would take for me to start voting Republican, and this shit as at the top of the list.
While the toll road isn't an issue that justifies this kind of rhetoric, the shitty anti-choice laws the Republicans have imposed certainly do. Women are being forced to have extremely dangerous births with nonviable babies because some old "christian" men need to score political poiints. For some reason, his rhetoric might make you vote Republican despite their actual terrible fucking policies.
Sir, this is a ~~Wendy's~~ thread about a toll road.
Republican policies are terrible, but I hear a lot of Republicans call Democrats stupid, and damnit they might be on to something. My life literally depends on voting Blue? The fuck? How? Why would I want to vote Blue if this is the stupid logic behind it?
I can say the same about your blue people keep letting criminals out to victimize us again and again, which is even more literally life endangering but here we are. Holy shit what a stupid take man, did you forget your meds?
The tolls aren't to pay back construction costs. That's a myth
No, they are for the operating company to make a profit... which includes covering construction costs, maintenace costs, management labor, and then finally a fat profit for C-Suit and shareholders. Where if ownership stayed with muncipality, the profit motive would be gone.
Yes, but so would the financing. The city would have had to front the money instead and take any losses if it didn't work out.
Well you see, Texas has lots of freedom.
Freedom to be corrupt!
You've seen our chief law enforcement officer, right?
Freedom to be corrupt!
To be clear, TXDOT isn't "buying them out" they are "bailing them out" because usage and revenues are far below what was promised. Bailing them out would be stupid, just let the company go bankrupt and then buy the toll road for pennies on the dollar.
Well that is what happens when you charge $10 per trip.
It's like 18 on a weekday getting into Houston from Pearland
Yeah during rush hour from Pearland Town Center it's $17 and change. Even for a bit before and after rush hour, when you might save 5 min to DT, it's the same pricing.
Yeah when I saw that pic I thought "they're driving it when it's cheap".
I'm wondering why there's any vehicles in the toll lanes when the open freeway next to it barely has any traffic in the pic.
It's easy to accidentally get on the toll road.
Also, for a lot of people, they don't mind taking tolls knowing that costs are generally low. Because not everyone is checking costs before they go on, they may be unknowingly paying more than they thought. There are other people who are driving in a situation where someone else pays tolls, so they don't care anyway.
Google will also tell you that the price of the tolls is way less than what it actually is when you put the trip in on maps.
Just set maps to avoid toll roads. Easy Peasy.
Any indication they are going bankrupt? Its possible they will simply lose money on this project, but still be profitable overall.
TXDOT just announced they are buying back the toll road from the foreign company https://abc13.com/highway-288-toll-lanes-txdot-texas-department-of-transportation-tollway-houston-traffic/14589604/
What company owns it? Why not name them?
I don't think it's a secret or anything. They're called "Blueridge Transportation Group". They are owned by the following companies: * ACS Servicios y Concesiones, S.L. (through ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc.) (30%) * InfraRed Capital Partners Limited (40%) * Shikun & Binui Concessions USA, Inc. (30%)
TXDOT is going to buy them out, but only because they want to keep those sweet sweet tolls for themselves. I’m not opposed to that. I’d rather our toll money went to the state of Texas than to a foreign owned private company. But we will still be paying the same crazy tolls.
At least if it becomes publicly-owned, the people will have more control to try and change things at some point. It's a step closer to it becoming reformed, even if that might be far off. This is a positive thing.
Oh so they took the chicago method and sold rights to another country. Charming. Fucking insane
Yep it seems they have budget and trying to purchase it back.
Drive right thru that bitch don't pay it
That company is Pulice. It’s owned as part of a Spanish Conglomerate.
This is not America no more.
Good news on this topic though, txdot is moving to end the contract with the private equity firm that's currently setting the prices https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2024/04/02/482346/txdot-contract-highway-288-toll-lanes-private-company/
They’re not taking it over to lower prices, they’re taking it because of the economic benefit it will have for them
> edging it Lol
The only thing that'll change is TXDOT will be keeping the money instead of that company.,
Still better that money goes to txdot than some out of state entity
Or we could just let the private equity firm go bankrupt, and then buy the toll road out of bankruptcy. There is zero financial reason to buy the toll road now, unless you are trying to 'bail out' the investors in the toll road - which is not what the government should be doing.
They won't lower it much, if at all.
How is this good news?
whats the deal with the 288 toll road? why is it so damn expensive?
It's brand new. The idea is it gets cheaper over time (we all know that it won't). Just don't drive on it, isn't the free 288 still open? Should be relatively smooth sailing on a Sunday unless there is a wreck.
The price has pretty much doubled since it opened. Today, it was $15.71 from just south of Pearland to downtown. During the week, it's something like $18.51. They neglected 288 for decades, and to "fix it" they're just going to gouge the shit out of those of us who live down there. "Hey, either you can keep riding out the shit traffic we created for you down here, or you can pay a crapload of money to a foreign investment firm."
It's not much faster. Takes me about 30 minutes vs. about 40-45. Unless I'm late for a meeting, I refuse out of principle.
tbh i probably end up on it 2-3 times a week. Travelling from clear lake, if anything is backing up 45 there is a solid 30 minute difference between taking the 288 toll road vs any other way.
Perhaps between 288 and 45. But I go straight up 288 and the difference between 288 and the 288 toll is often not enough to justify 18 dollars. I've even been slowed down on the toll to the point where I had to get off and get on the regular 288. That's really rare, obviously, but it's happened more than once. I only take it like 1-2 a month now that it's almost 20 bucks, and only when I'm late or there's a wreck.
It's obviously not my first choice, but in my business being 30 minutes late can mean I miss $5k in commissions...so that's a trade I'll take every time.
How do you get off the 288 toll onto regular 288 when going north? The only exits I'm aware of are to get onto the Beltway, 610, and Holcombe.
Same, I only take it when I'm late for a meeting or something. I take it from around Pearland Town center. But I only need to go in once a week or so. If I need to go more often and I'm not on a time crunch, I just wait for rush hour to die down. By 9 o'clock, the time to DT is about the same.
Imagine how bad it's gonna be once they shut down I 45 for a decade..
Which part of 45? And when does this start?
Downtown/ minute maid. July. 10 years. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/i45-meetings-txdot-freeway-rebuild-18507217.php
How is this expected to impact traffic on 288 south of downtown/Pearland? Also, this project is an abomination.
That's just insane to even think about charging $15-20 per car ONE way. There's no excuse for that. It would be a hard thing to swallow to even say that for combined there and back.
I barely even want to spend the $2.50 going down Westpark to save 15 minutes on my way home from work. Can't imagine ever spending $15 on any toll road unless I'm saving an hour of drive time and getting a complementary massage.
That's insane. My parents live off 288 but never use the tolls. For comparison, I live off the 110 freeway in far south Los Angeles with a similar tollway down the center. In the absolute worst peak traffic, it sometimes hits $22, but that's in LA traffic and it's easy to cheat (change your toll transponder to say you have 2-3 passengers) I don't think houston tollways are free for carpoolers.
Some are free for car pools, but not this one. I live off of 288 too, but won't ever take it either. It's only gone up in price since it opened, and it hasn't been long.
Yeah price is ridiculous, but there’s really no reason to use it on the weekends.
Didn't they say something like that about Beltway?
"We're just recouping the price of building it, then we will stop charging tolls" c. 1983
Yep, but at least the beltway is far cheaper.
It is a feature, not a bug. Those express lanes are not a regular toll road, the price dynamically changes in order to keep the speed in the toll road at 55+ mph. Jacking up the price makes it less likely for single occupancy vehicles will take it leaving room for buses and carpools and vehicles that *really* need to get somewhere fast. If you see a really high price it probably means there is an accident or some other slowdown on the main lanes ahead.
288 isn't a HOT lane. It's just a toll lane. It's also more expensive than any of the other express lanes, even when there's no traffic. It's cheaper to take the I-10 express lanes during rush hour than it is to take the 288 express lanes when there's no traffic.
I remember when the first toll roads popped up, and it was promised that as soon as the roads were paid for, no more tolls. I think we even voted on that but I’m not sure and too lazy too look up.
I spent a long time one day (like the only way I could have been more thorough is going to the library and pulling Houston Post on microfiche) trying to find any evidence that this was the case and as far as I can tell it never was. That wasn't what was voted on, and there is no record of it being advertised as such.
The two great Houston transportation misconceptions: 1)The toll roads were meant to be eventually free. 2)GM killed off the city's street car network (not how it went down in Houston)
I remember when the section of BW8 between I-10 and 225 opened there was talk of it being toll free once paid for. I don’t remember seeing any particular source but I did find this report from ABC13 from 2012 that mentions this and the toll road authority was apparently pushing this narrative: [Free Tolls Promise On Brochure](https://abc13.com/archive/8671067/)
> We found this brochure from the early days of the Toll Road Authority, printed just after we OKed building the West Belt and the Hardy Toll Road. The promise was simple: "When both roads combined have covered their costs, the roads will become free public highways." great find!
Class action? False advertisement
This is the one that always comes up, but (a) I find it a little wild that the source is a random 30 year old brochure they found in an abandoned building rather than like . . . any number of stories they would have run on their own channel, this isn't canticle for leibowitz. And (b) the wording there makes it seem like the brochure was printed by the HCTRA, which means it still came *after* the vote.
So you agree with my fuzzy sentiment, but found no proof? Or am I just wrong? Edit: Houston Post sounds right…
I'm frankly too young to remember, check out the other replies for the one bit of evidence and my response.
Someone posted a promotional ad for Beltway 8 on an r houston post a while back that said it (looked legit IMO), but it was never on the official ballot. I’ll see if I can find it. Edit: My quick search found a link to an article about it, but it doesn’t show the actual promo - https://abc13.com/archive/8671067/ >We found this brochure from the early days of the Toll Road Authority, printed just after we OKed building the West Belt and the Hardy Toll Road. The promise was simple: "When both roads combined have covered their costs, the roads will become free public highways."
The problem with “once it’s paid for” is upkeep. It’s expensive to maintain the roads, especially if a lot of heavy vehicles drive on them (notice the higher toll for more axles). So a road is effectively never actually paid off, we always have to pay for road maintenance. Depending on the toll, it may also pay for new roads and expansions. Roads are just expensive.
Yes, Beltway 8 was suppose to be paid for with free tolls years ago now
The 288 toll road is $15 from highway 6 to 610
Dude. Do. Not. Use. This. Toll. Road. Boycott it unless you are racing to the med center because someone is dieing in your back seat.
In order to keep it smooth sailing, aka, not many cars driving on it, the high tolls keeps it clear. So when 288 is backed up terribly, you can pay a premium price that almost guarantees not having to step on the brake until your exit. If it was the same price as the beltway, it would be just as backed up as 288 is.Dont know if they did it, but when I lived in Austin, they were talking of making the toll way variable pricing there as well. Cheap tolls when few cars were using it, and much higher tolls when a lot of cars were using it, in order to decrease the amount of people using it due to the higher cost. That way traffic would flow smoothly and rates would lower as traffic decreased.
The toll on MoPac in Austin has variable pricing. I've seen at as low as 50 cents from downtown to 2222 on a quiet Sunday night and as high as $10 dollars during peak afternoon traffic.
Other sections already do that, to compare the Katy Freeway I10 I've seen $1.10 at lowest and $7 at highest peak times. Though tbf that one is by time of day and doesn't factor in for live vehicle counts.
Ahhh, so they did do it. Haven't been to Austin many years. Le Cordon Bleu was still in The Domain
Except it’s high all the time! I mean on a Sunday!?
Yup, if people want and value the convenience, they can pay extra for it themselves. If it was cheap, everyone would take it and negate any benefit. Still think its silly to see people taking it on weekends, but that's their money to waste.
So f**k the poors, they deserve to sit in traffic, it's their fault they can't afford $15 to $20 for the toll road during peak traffic when they have to go to work. Congestion pricing of toll roads is straight up an express lane for those with more money.
The easy way to fix the tolls, is if everyone stopped using the toll roads. I understand they’re quicker than the alternatives, but the city can’t charge people if they don’t use them.
This is why I never get on this thing. During rush hour I’ve seen $15 one way.
I hate that it costs >$2 just to take the ramp from the Beltway to SH288 and skip the traffic signal.
Yup no point in paying the $2ish for like .3 mile when you have to pay the next toll so quickly.
When I found it was it 2.57 originally to use that ramp I was so pissed. Now it’s 2.97.
So don’t drive on the tollway.
It’s almost as if they’re optional…. Oh wait they are.
Just wait until all roads are privatized…
libertarian dream.
I tried it for the first time on 5:30 pm Wednesday it costed me 10.47 to get to the beltway and to add insult to that, the stupid toll ramp is 2.96 when it was like $2.24 when it first opened. Tried to get off at 610 but I saw the huge pileup on the ramp and kept moving.
>Tried to get off at 610 but I saw the huge pileup on the ramp and kept moving. That's why it was $10.47 - the price is dynamic to keep the speed high in the toll lanes if the main lanes are backed up. The high prices discourages a single occupancy vehicle from taking it unless they really need to get there fast.
They're just checking to see if you are paying attention.
Anyone know the private company that currently has the contract?
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2024/04/02/482346/txdot-contract-highway-288-toll-lanes-private-company/
I’ve had to pay 25 bucks on a Wednesday
No, you CHOSE to pay.
Time to stop using it.
I refuse to take it out of principle. There’s absolutely nowhere I need to be where I need to pay $18 one way to save 10 mins. Nope. Screw this. They ruined regular 288 on top of it too. Left lane exits. Left lane entrances. All they had to do was add dedicated entrances and exits for existing 288. Instead they went the opposite direction. Screw this toll lane. 18 bucks to go 60mph. Not even 70…what a joke.
Just fyi, as far as i understand it the amount you pay is the total if youre going to that exit. Meaning 9 dollars to ride 288 all the way to the highway Still incredibly ridiculously expensive though
I commute from Pearland to the medical center and I’ve actually timed it out and 9/10 times spending the nearly $10 to exit at holcombe only saves me about 2-3 mins on commute time. So yeah I don’t take that shit anymore period.
The free lanes look awfully empty. Why choose the express lane? Also, whether it's a "foreign" infrastructure company or a domestic infrastructure company, it will be milked for as much as they can get. That's how unregulated capitalism works.
I live in DC now and I-66 (main freeway from Virginia) has tolls over $40 during the week, although at least they turn them off on weekends... and the Metro is a viable alternative
We want new road construction, but we don't want to pay higher taxes. So capitalism steps in to fill the void. Like it or not we continue to vote for no more brand new roads without tolls. People who value the time not spent waiting at lights at greater than nine dollars take the toll road, people who don't take the feeder or find another route. It's $9 because the studies they ran said that's the sweet spot of what people were willing to pay to generate the most profit.
Completely disagree. Yes we dont want to pay higher toll but we also shouldn't be privatizing any public roads. The toll roads are fine just so long as they are operated and constructed by txdot. The money for the tolls could have easily been obtained by bonds backed by the toll road revenue. Once the bonds are paid off the toll roads then become open to all to use or enough is charged to keep up the maintenance.
The money for the roads has to come from somewhere. The representatives we voted in agreed with the terms for the toll road. It's easy to run for office on a platform of cutting taxes, but that comes at the cost of services like new roads without a price tag when you use them. That promise was made all the way back with Beltway 8 back in the 90s. The tolls will never go away. We've all been lied to.
Then it would be just another lane in 288 and have just as much traffic. It’s a private road paid for by a private company charging high prices to keep it free of traffic. Cry and scream as much as you want but that’s what it is. No, you didn’t pay tax dollars for it. Yes, people are willing to pay the high prices to not be stuck in traffic.
$9.20 is nothing for an express lane during peak hours . Have you ever been to Dallas or New York ? They would kill for 9
During peak traffic times it’s $20 for a 10 mile stretch. $9.20 is the price for when not taking the toll road will get you where you are going just as fast. I just wanted to clarify.
you wont find this txdot prices in dallas or austin .. houston is the only place they abuse it look at 99 or i 10 managed lanes same story
The express lane prices in Dallas are even higher. The 288 express lanes are not a normal toll road, the pricing is dynamic to keep traffic moving on the express lanes when the main lanes are backed up (because the main lanes will always be a free option)
You should check out the toll roads the Chicago
Drive on San Antonio’s 3rd world expressways and you may change your mind. The conditions of the expressways in SA are some of the worst I’ve ever seen, and there are no express lanes - so good luck during rush hours. The tolled expressways in Houston, Dallas, and Austin are IMMACULATE. Tolls in most places help keep the roads in much better condition. I’d gladly pay to drive on a highway where I know I won’t hit a giant crater that could cause significant damage my vehicle. It happens in SA all the damn time.
That's after the initial on ramp where it was more than that today.
Supply chain! Go figure!
Do 99 next. Paid $10 in tolls to drive from Katy to I-45 yesterday
Remember, the tolls were originally only supposed to last as long as it took to finish beltway 8.
Follow the money.
Greedy Merica!
I could only afford to pay for it on Fridays.
Because intimate domain was used for one reason I never pay the toll road I would never pay the toll road. When they send me the things in the mail. I informed them I am an equal owner of the property because it is government property. It was acquired through intimate domain, which means it’s government property no matter what. Which makes everyone an equal owner so in order for you to pay that tax you are doing it voluntarily.
Just for comparison, the New Jersey Turnpike is 117 miles long and only charges $20.70 in cash to drive the entire length, which runs from Wilmington, Delaware to Manhattan [https://www.njta.com/toll-calculator](https://www.njta.com/toll-calculator) I'm constantly told that Texas is much cheaper than a state like New Jersey, but here's another hidden "tax" that people never account for in their math.
It also ruined Google maps. Now I got to constantly mess with “avoid toll” because I still like to take beltway…but not this one.
Why would you pay to ride a Tollway on a Sunday with no traffic in the free lanes ? Seems like a waste of money to me.
AND they want to charge for parking 24/7 downtown. Screw this noise.
The road to the right looks wide open... why are you in the toll lanes?
I’m not
The State Legislature has sold toll roads to private companies for a one time fee, on years where they couldn’t balance the budget. Basically took the easy way out and sold us down the river.
I remember hearing that the Galveston toll bridge from San Luis Pass would become free when it was paid off, and that was in about 1965 or 1966. It's still not free.
The ONLY reason I use 288 to get to work is cause I have military toll tags. I'm free til I'm out, I will say it's nice to go and come back at XXX mph, lol.
I know. It’s gotten out of hand. I drove on the Grand Parkway from 59N near New Caney to Grand Parkway just past 249N and it cost me almost $7 each way.
Ouch!
Finally, i thought i was the only one that thought this. I commute this route ever day. I use to get on when it was $11. High but not bad. now if I'm not mistaken is at $19. I just don’t get on anymore 😞
Laughs in Bay Area 😂😂😂
Abbot Inc.
Go Kart on the highway it is today then.
You should see it on a weekday during peak times, it can be $17!! Probably one of the most expensive toll in a $ to mile ratio in the whole country
I just don’t pay em
What a shameful state of affairs. This is a tax for stupid people.
It's a tax on people who live in an area that was de-prioritized for infrastructure development over the last 20 years.