link One of the unique features of the new I-10/Katy Freeway will be the Katy Tollway - the first tolling facility in the nation to operate within the right of way of an interstate highway. The new Katy Tollway will replace the single contra-flow METRO-operated High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, located today in the center of the I-10/Katy Freeway. The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) will operate and maintain the Katy Tollway. Katy Tollway Operations The initial Operations Agreement between TxDOT, Harris County and METRO allows for the provision of METRO buses to use the lanes free of charge with guarantees that mass transit users will be assured a level of service equal to or better than 45 miles per hour (referred to as Level of Service C). Concessions for vehicles with an occupancy of three or more people are also provided for in the agreement and allows toll-free use of the lanes during peak periods per direction. Working with the Operations Committee comprised of TxDOT, HCTRA and METRO, Harris County Commissioner's Court will determine and approve any additional toll exceptions and/or modification to the initial operations. So is it part tollway and part HOV?
and say u are on the tollway and want to exit off kirkwood. do u have to exit the tollway and then get over 4 lanes to exit?
Yea you would but i'm not sure you would get on the tollway to begin with since it starts at 6 and that is just a few miles from kirkwood. Whenever you get to a toll plaza, you get in a certain lane based on how many people are in your car and then you are charged according to that.
so if you have 3 people in your car during "peak" hour you wont get charge? but if you have 1-2 person you would get charge? but do you stop and pay or is it like an EZTAG thing? but then how would it know how many you have?
They have these type of HOV lanes in Cali but not with the toll part. Gonna be interesting to say the least.
i'm guessing it will be like the westpark tollway...all EZTAG. they can't have you stopping to pay tolls on an interstate freeway.
As I said, it depends what lane you are in when you drive under the EZ tag scanners. The leftmost lane will be the carpoll lane and not charge anyone who is in it. The rightmost lane will charge the most.
whats the yellow line suposed to mean? i hope thats not where your getting charged because that would get expensive quick. unless its like 50c a pass through.
Aren't toll roads supposed to be taken over by the govt (maintenance) once they are paid off? How is a once public, paid for road, converted to a toll road?
I always thought the Tollway were going to be inside the barriers and the HOV where going to be the far left lanes similar to LA and Dallas but on the outside of the tollway but now both are going to be inside?
This is getting r****ded if we do not put a stop to this any highway you want to drive on at a reasonable speed is going to require a toll. Its all connected to us driving less as a city because people will soon be driving less because of gas prices, that means less tax money for the government. They are going to recoup the tax money they loose and also make massive profit all at the expense of regular hard working people. I guess this is what happens when you dont pay attention to city government special interests groups get to do what ever they want to make money
i'm puzzled by the 3+ person requirement for the HOV lane. to my knowledge this is the first of its kind. what is the thought process behind requiring an additional person?
Im in Cali and they built a new toll road here without any attendants. It really sucks because if I get on where my house is and take the next exit, I get charged $2.50!!! I used to live out in Katy so hope you guys don't get screwed like we did.
They had to add the TOLLWAY to in middle to take people's $$! Why couldnt they just had like 7 lanes on each side!!! less traffic i would think.
wait...so all this construction was to add a couple of toll roads and extend the freeway to one more lane?!? wtf?!?
you can thank congressman culberson. but he isn't alone in this matter. it has the fingerprints of other current government officials... our current governor and perhaps our next governor as well. http://www.culberson.house.gov/news.aspx?A=47 there is also an interesting article from the chron about 7 months ago, regarding the lack of rail included on i10- http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/moveit/5401174.html
