TxDOT to Purchase Houston Toll Road, Questions Remain About Total Cost
The agreement with BlueRidge to operate Highway 288 will end in October.
Last week, the Texas Transportation Commission voted to approve the purchase of toll road Highway 288 in Harris County for $1.7 billion.
The toll road was constructed by BlueRidge Transportation Group and extends about 10 miles from Blodgett Street in Harris County southward, ending approximately at the county line between Harris and Brazoria Counties. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), “The highway serves as an important thoroughfare into Houston and the primary express artery to the world’s largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Center.”
The original comprehensive development agreement gave TxDOT the right to terminate the agreement “if the department determines in its discretion that a termination is in the department’s best interest.”
TxDOT spokesperson Adam Hammons told The Texan this purchase is not part of a larger strategy to buy toll roads in the state, but is a one-time opportunity based on this specific concession agreement.
TxDOT notified BlueRidge of the termination, effective October 8, 2024.
Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) posted a letter to X with questions for TxDOT that he believes are important to understand about the buyout of Highway 288.
“How much will this cost taxpayers to pay for this existing highway, given that TXDOT plans to issue bonds at today’s rates to pay itself back for the purchase of the road?” Cain inquired.
Link to article here.
TxDOT ends agreement with private company overseeing Highway 288 toll lanes
ABC13 Houston
March 30, 2024
The Texas Department of Transportation is moving forward with a plan to end its agreement with the private company that oversees the toll lanes on Highway 288. So what does that mean for you?
The question is: When the state takes over the tollway, could you get a better deal or wind up paying even more?
TxDOT says it's too early to say. That's not necessarily the answer drivers want to hear while this is getting sorted out.
"[The drive is about] $17, $18 one way," Darren Dixon, the owner of a BBQ restaurant right next to Highway 288, said.
Dixon drives the toll road daily.
"I do it every day, back and forth," he said.
For Dixon and other drivers, a toll decrease would sure be welcome.
"It's the most expensive toll road in the area," Shelly Nixon, another driver, said. "It's so expensive. Surely they can make money and save us money at the same time."
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