Most tolling agencies stopped accepting cash on the roadway years ago in an effort to speed up traffic - drivers can travel at highway speeds under transponders that capture tolling data from a tag instead of stopping and paying cash. “We want to meet customers where they are,” he said, noting that a public service campaign of the changes will be likely. Many cash-paying drivers bristle at the agency’s billing practices or lack a credit card.ĭrivers likely will be able to pay for tolls at EZ Tag store locations, Trevino said, and perhaps at other locations such as convenience stores or supermarkets. I-45 NORTH GOING SOUTH: Federal officials halt development on TxDOT’s $7 billion rebuild of I-45ĭropping cash from the road, meanwhile, does not mean drivers will need a credit card on file with HCTRA. “There does need to be a reasonable time period to implement it,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle said. Some design changes may be needed to make sure entrance and exits do not cause drivers to jockey for position.Ĭounty officials, who approved the plan, acknowledged the conversion includes time for HCTRA to adjust. “We want to look at what it does to speeds.” “We want to make the transition safely,” Trevino said. Trevino said the agency wants to complete a traffic study. UPS AND DOWNS: Houston traffic went down last year, but the region ranked worse for congestionįurther study of taking out the toll booths could take months, though Trevino said officials hope to have a plan in place soon of when conversion of the cash lanes to EZ Tag access can begin. HCTRA has spent the past decade luring drivers to EZ Tag and TxTag use and away from cash tolls, as have most toll operators around Texas and the nation. Losing the last few toll booths is unlikely to have a major effect on most drivers. “We want to consider and assess the implications of all-electronic tolling,” he said, noting officials will take it slow in moving cars through payment areas faster. As HCTRA makes the transition and plans the removal of the existing booths, officials are weighing whether booth operators will ever return, toll agency Executive Director Roberto Trevino said. The toll booths have been vacant for more than 15 months, after HCTRA pulled workers at the start of the pandemic.
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