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Latest Section of SH 130 Opens
09/06/2007
The new segment of State Highway 130 opened September 6, making travel around Central Texas easier and providing motorists’ quicker access to major regional roadways and destinations.
The newly opened 11-mile segment of SH 130 extends from US 290 to US 71. With this latest section of the toll road, motorists using Loop 1, SH 45 and SH 130 can now save time by traveling around congested areas to reach their destinations sooner.
State representative Mike Krusee said:
"Completing this segment of SH 130 is an important milestone in the overall SH 130 project because it provides many area travelers with a faster and more convenient route to the Austin-Bergstrom Airport than has been available in the past. Improving access to and from regional facilities such as the airport is one of the goals of the SH 130 project and of the Central Texas Turnpike System in general."
This newest segment of SH 130 opened following a ribbon cutting ceremony, which included participation from Senator Jeff Wentworth, Representative Dawnna Dukes and Georgetown Mayor Gary Nelon.
With the opening of SH 130 Segment 3, approximately 56 of the Central Texas Turnpike Project’s (CTTP) 65 miles are now open to traffic.
Through October, all motorists will be able to test drive the newest segment of toll road for free. After two months without tolls, cash customers will begin paying tolls on November 1. For motorists with a TxTag or other electronic toll tag, they will receive another month of free tolls, then half-price tolls in December.
After four months of discounted toll rates, the regular toll rates will begin on January 1, 2008.
In Austin, more than 250,000 TxTags have been activated, with several thousand tags set up each week.
The Texas Department of Transportation opened the first 44 miles of the Central Texas Turnpike Project in late 2007, nearly a year ahead of schedule and more than $400 million under budget.
After just five months of tolling, the CTTP is surpassing the original 2002 traffic projections. Traffic data collected in May show that on an average weekday, there were approximately 129,600 toll transactions on the turnpike project, which is 63 percent higher than the original traffic projections.
