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QUESTION 1) B. FALSE
The Mobility Authority is an independent government agency created by the Texas Legislature in 2002. Tolling authorities, however, are subject to extensive local, state and federal reporting and auditing requirements to ensure accountability.
Pursuant to state and federal laws, the Mobility Authority is required to submit various compliance, financial, and project reports annually to several agencies, including the Texas Transportation Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These documents are also made available to the public on our active project websites and at MobilityAuthority.com.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute has cited the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority as a standard for transparency and accountability and encourages other regional mobility authorities to follow our lead.
QUESTION 2) A. TOLL ROADS & SHARED USE PATHS
The Mobility Authority is one of two main toll operators in Central Texas. The Mobility Authority operates 183A Toll, 290 Toll, 71 Toll Lanes, MoPac Express Lane, 45SW Toll, 183 Toll and their associated shared use paths. With more than 70 miles of shared use paths or sidewalks in place or planned, we’re proud to share these facilities across Central Texas.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) operates Loop 1 Toll, SH 45 North, SH 45 Southeast, and SH 130. They also operate TxTag and are a separate agency from the Mobility Authority.
The Mobility Authority does NOT own or manage an electronic tag. Instead, we accept several different electronic tags on our roadways, including NTTA's TollTag, HCTRA's EZ TAG, TxDOT’s TxTag and more! Learn more our interoperable tag payment system here.
QUESTION 3) B. FALSE
Regional mobility authorities do not determine which roads to build, nor do they decide which projects are tolled.
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) like the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), are responsible for developing both short- and long-range transportation plans for our region. These plans identify priority projects, forecasting for traffic growth 20-30 years into the future. They then determine funding plans based on available financing and only when the Mobility Authority is asked by CAMPO to build a toll project do we take it on.
No entity can build roads that are not a part of the regional MPO plan.
QUESTION 4) D. ALL THE ABOVE
Perhaps a better answer would be ‘All the above – and then some.’ Prior to construction, we conduct robust environmental studies to evaluate the effects of a potential project on the human and natural environment. Components include thorough analysis of traffic data and projections, water and air quality, biological and ecological resources, traffic noise, and cultural resources to only a mention a few. Plus, we understand community input delivers better projects. As such the environmental process also involves thoughtful public engagement. And all of our exhaustive research is conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. It takes 2-6 years on average to complete an environmental study; however, the exact time depends greatly on the project being studied.
QUESTION 5) B. FALSE
The Mobility Authority was created and operates under the Texas Transportation Code Chapter 370 and is authorized under state law to implement a wide range of transportation systems including roadways, airports, seaports and transit services.
We engage in numerous regional partnerships and projects including the roadside assistance HERO Program and working with CapMetro and CARTS on transit initiatives. Most recently we provided $2 million in funding for construction of the Richard A. Moya Eastside Bus Plaza through an interlocal agreement.
You may have noticed that multimodal solutions are an integral part of our projects and our network. On just the 183 Toll Road alone, we invested more than $25 million in active transportation improvements including 10 miles of shared use path, 16 miles of bike lanes, and five pedestrian bridges improving connectivity and safety.
Our projects include robust environmental studies to evaluate a full range of Build (i.e. HOV, general purpose, transit-only, toll lanes, etc.) and No-Build Alternatives to identify the best approach to reducing congestion and improving reliability.
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