Toll highway mulled by Harris County

THE CHRON:

Harris County may pick up where the Texas Department of Transportation left off as Commissioners Court considers whether to study the feasibility of building a tolled segment of the Tomball Parkway.

The Harris County Toll Road Authority is asking that it be allowed to look at State Highway 249, also known as Tomball Parkway, to see whether it would be make sense to build a toll road from Spring-Cypress Road about 10 miles north, to near Farm-to-Market 1774. Toll roads officials stress that the study is preliminary and no end point has been determined.

"You've got a populated area that's growing that needs more mobility," said Peter Key, executive director of the toll road authority. "We're taking those first steps to try to find something that's feasible."

Starting the toll road north of Spring-Cypress is natural, he said, as that is where the existing expressway ends and splits into two frontage roads separated by 400 to 500 feet of grass median.

"There was some forethought years ago when the state constructed that," Key said. "They were thinking long term: 'One day we'll come back.' Well that day has come, so now who's going to find a way to afford putting it in the ground?"

The Texas Department of Transportation and Montgomery County already have begun discussions on the project, Key said. About 64,500 vehicles per day travel between Beltway 8 and FM 1774, according to 2010 TxDOT data that includes trips in both directions.

"The people out in Tomball really want that to occur," said County Judge Ed Emmett, a former transportation consultant. "Everybody I talk to says it's almost a no-brainer that it's a financially good thing to do."

Shorter commutes

John Fishero, a vice president at Lone Star College-Tomball and chairman of the 249 Coalition, a nascent group advocating for growth along the road from Beltway 8 to Navasota, agreed.

Morning radio traffic reports, Fishero said, often cite 45-minute drive times on 20-mile stretches of the North and Eastex freeways. The commute on 249, he said, often is pegged at 30 minutes for a stretch of road one fourth as long.

"They're talking about Spring Cypress to Beltway 8, and that's only about 6 miles," Fishero said. "People are sitting there going nowhere. Getting the flow of traffic away from the stop lights and stop signs between Spring-Cypress and Magnolia will definitely help."

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, whose precinct includes the area, said he has heard positive feedback from his constituents.

"That region is one where we are exploding in our growth," Cagle said. "Having the opportunity to explore avenues of increased mobility is just a positive discussion for us to have."

Terri Hall, of Texans Uniting for Reform & Freedom, a group that opposes many toll roads, disagreed.

"People can't afford to pay tolls, especially with gas going up," Hall said. "You might be able to get it built sooner, but who's going to drive on it? They're going to still be sitting on frontage roads."

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