AUSTIN, Texas — The pandemic could bring new toll roads back to Texas.
That’s the push from a coalition of businesses who worry needed projects could be delayed without help from the private sector.
After a year of economic strife and growing state needs in healthcare and education some Central Texas leaders are concerned about state transportation projects falling through the cracks.
"This next legislative session there's going to be some belt-tightening that's going to need to happen financially," says Jason Ball of the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce. "It's a logical time to say -- are there creative solutions?"
Now Keep Texas Moving -- a coalition of businesses focused on improving gridlocked roads -- is urging state leaders to re-authorize public-private partnerships (P3s) to fund major road projects. That's when the private sector puts up the money to get the work done and then gets paid back over time through toll revenues.
"Williamson County is concerned that the major metro counties will take a larger and larger share of the state's transportation dollars as the state continues to grow leaving suburban and rural Texas behind," says John Howard who will be the board chair for the Round Rock Chamber in 2022.
"Our projects fund themselves and the investment we're making in regional transportation solutions frees up dollars for the state to spend on other projects around the region," explains Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board member Mike Doss. Two examples of CTRMA projects include 183S and 183A. These projects are not public-private partnerships but they were built without tax revenues. Instead, they're funded through bonds, TIFIA loans and system financing. Toll revenue collected can help repay the cost of construction.
Advocates say P3s will not only help the state stay on top of road and bridge needs when money is tight but can also stimulate job creation and speed up economic recovery.
"We simply need every tool in the toolbox and want to be a help in taking us to the next level and getting us to the levels where we need to be," says Aaron Cox, Vice President of the Texas Association of Business.
Several projects across the state have been funded through past public-private partnerships. Examples include in SH 288 in Houston, the 635/LBJ project in Dallas, the North Tarrant Expressway near Fort Worth.
Public-private partnerships for road projects have been off the table since Governor Abbott declared a moratorium on toll roads in 2017, but Keep Texas Moving is pushing the legislature to revisit the issue in 2021.
Note: A earlier version of this story said 183A and 183S were public-private partnerships (P3s) but they are not.