Texas Tollways

We will:

  • Reduce congestion
  • Enhance safety
  • Expand economic development
  • Improve air quality
  • Increase the value of transportation assets

Why toll roads?

The Texas highway system has not kept pace with the needs of a rapidly increasing population. Over the past 25 years in Texas, our population has increased 57 percent and use of our roads has almost doubled. However, state road capacity increased only 8 percent during this time.

Highways in Texas have traditionally been funded with gas taxes. But state and federal gas taxes no longer generate enough money to keep up with the cost of building new roads and upgrading and maintaining current ones. In fact, the majority of the 38 cents per gallon in taxes that motorists now pay at the pump is used to cover upkeep of our 79,000 miles of state highways. Even a significant hike in the gas tax would not provide enough money to build the new roads we need to solve our worsening traffic problems.

“We simply can’t continue to rely on the gas tax as our sole source of highway funding. In fact, projections are that the state gas tax would need to be raised 600 percent to meet our transportation needs over the next 25 years. Texans tell us that they want relief from traffic congestion now, not later. Toll roads allow us to build roads sooner.”
– Phil Russell, P.E., Director, Texas Turnpike Authority Division, TxDOT

With tolling, we can begin to solve our traffic problems now, without motorists having to pay higher gas taxes. Toll roads and express toll lanes can be built in one-fifth the time it takes for road construction funded with gas taxes. That’s because funds for toll road construction are borrowed up front rather than waiting to collect enough gas tax revenues to complete new road projects. The borrowed money is repaid with tolls.

More Choices

New toll roads and express lanes are opening throughout Texas. Some highways are being built as toll roads from the start, and others are being expanded by adding new express toll lanes so that existing roads can carry more traffic.

Toll roads and express lanes provide motorists more routes and more timesaving choices. Less time sitting in traffic means a faster ride home, to work, or wherever your travels take you.

Only drivers who use toll lanes have to pay. Drivers who prefer not to pay a toll will always have a non-tolled alternative. Texans can decide which road suits their needs best.

Read more about TxDOT's Plan for addressing our state's transportation
challenges.