71 Toll Lane Now Open to Traffic

Travelers to the airport, Bastrop, and destinations beyond now have a new travel option along SH 71 because the 71 Toll Lane project is open to traffic. These new toll lanes offer greater mobility, enhanced connectivity, and reliable travel times along this key east/west connection to SH 130 near Onion Creek.

TxDOT broke ground on the 71 Toll Lane project at a February 28 ceremony beside the new roadway at SH 130 Toll.

TxDOT began construction of the project in January 2015. Their crews have been hard at work building one tolled lane in each direction along a 3.9-mile stretch of SH 71 from Presidential Boulevard to SH 130, as well as constructing new bridges over FM 973 and SH 130. The Mobility Authority now takes over responsibility of the operations and maintenance of the open toll lanes.

Introducing Safety and Operational Improvements for Airport Traffic

The SH 71 corridor is a key route to the airport and surrounding areas. With a combination of airport-bound traffic and through-traffic, safety and mobility have been compromised by weaving conditions and by the merging of low-speed traffic with high-speed traffic. The 71 Toll Lane increases capacity and moves more vehicles to their destinations more efficiently by shifting some of the through-traffic from the SH 71 mainlanes onto the newly constructed tolled lanes. This will eliminate the pain points caused by weaving of airport-bound traffic exiting SH 71 while sharing the road with through-traffic headed to Del Valle and beyond.

Greater Mobility for Tolled and Non-tolled Travel

We know that tolled travel is not for every driver. When the 71 Toll Lane opens to traffic, drivers will have the choice to take the free-flowing, tolled bypass lane designed to expedite travel along the SH 71 corridor. While these newly constructed lanes will be tolled, the project will benefit all SH 71 corridor users, including those traveling in the non-tolled general purpose lanes. Since the same number of non-tolled travel lanes that were available previously are being preserved and improved as part of this project, even those travelers who choose not to pay the toll will see a benefit of improved mobility, safety, and connectivity along the corridor.  

As part of our commitment to enhancing connectivity, the 71 Toll Lane Project will provide direct connector ramps to SH 130 from both the tolled and non-tolled lanes of SH 71, offering drivers a free flowing direct connection between the two key roadways.

Greater Connectivity for Multi-Modal Travel

Drivers are not the only ones who will see improvements with this project. We’ve incorporated significant bicycle and pedestrian accommodations into the improved corridor-- including a 10-foot wide shared use path along both sides of SH 71, effectively closing gaps in the existing network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities. These accommodations will connect to the future 183 South project’s shared use path.

Paying Tolls

The 71 Toll Lane will utilize all electronic, or cashless, tolling. This means drivers do not have to stop, or even slow down, to pay tolls. Drivers can pay through their tag account (TxTag, EZ Tag, or TollTag) or through the Pay By Mail Program using an image of their license plate. Drivers with a tag account save 25% over Pay By Mail rates.
 

 Learn more about TxTag at TxTag.org or by calling 1-888-468-9824
 

 Learn more about Pay By Mail at Paytexastoll.com or call 1-888-811-4565

The toll is $0.87 for a two-axle vehicle (most vehicles are two axle), and up to $3.48 for a five-axle vehicle with a TxTag. If you don’t have a TxTag, the toll is $1.16 for a two-axle vehicle up to $4.46 for a five-axle vehicle.