Brazoria County Creates Toll Authority

Local Authorities Gaining Presence Across State
“We want to be a player if toll roads become an issue in our county,” said Brazoria County Judge John Willy.
That thinking prompted the county’s move to establish the Brazoria County Toll Road Authority (BCTRA) in December 2003. Watching the neighboring Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) and feeling the Texas Department of Transportation’s push for toll roads, Brazoria County took a proactive stance to be in a position to affect future decisions.
Gary Idoux, chair of the BCTRA, said, “We wanted to control our own destiny.”
Without the authority, other entities could have made decisions on a regional or statewide basis that affect the county, he said. Now, all toll-related decisions must filter through the county’s toll road authority.
Already, the BCTRA has reviewed a feasibility study by the Harris County Toll Road Authority that would impact Brazoria County. The BCTRA, Idoux said, supports the viability of the route in Brazoria County and has recommended the next step – a more in-depth, investment grade study.
While the group is still in its infancy, Idoux said he expects the BCTRA to be making decisions that affect transportation in the county within two or three years.
Gerald Roberts, Brazoria County engineer, said the county modeled its authority after the Fort Bend County Roll Road Authority, which was established in 2000. That authority has completed the Fort Bend Parkway and is involved in another toll road construction project, both of which were approved by voters through a $140 million bond issue in 2000.
Roberts said Brazoria County’s authority, like its Fort Bend County model, is a recommending body whose five board members were appointed by the commissioners court. The authority makes recommendations that must receive final approval – and ultimately, funding – by the commissioners court.
The resounding message to other counties from these Brazoria County toll experts is to start thinking about developing a toll authority – or at least be preparing for that.
State legislation allows for the development of local toll authorities. House Bill 3588, passed during the 78th Texas Legislature, authorizes the creation of regional mobility authorities. Previous legislation allowed for the creation of the North Texas Tollway Authority and the Harris County Toll Authority.
TxDOT policy recommends that new capacity projects with controlled access – the addition of new lanes to an existing highway or the building of a new road – be considered for toll feasibility.
“All counties must be sensitive to these issues,” Roberts said. For areas with increasing congestion, toll roads may have to be considered, he explained.
Idoux agreed.
“Toll roads are an important issue everyone should pay attention to,” he said. Because toll roads can pay for themselves and future maintenance, they are the way of the future.
Willy said forming an authority is a relatively low-cost procedure. Basically, the upfront costs are legal. An authority, of course, requires more funding as it becomes more active, incurring engineering costs on studies and construction costs on actual projects.
Tammy Wishard