The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced plans last week to temporarily reduce toll rates for trucks on SH 130 in an effort to divert traffic from I-35, deemed the fourth-most congested roadway in Texas by the department.
Under the terms of the plan—beginning April 1, 2013 through March 30—2014 trucks on the SH 130 segments of I-6 and SH 45SE will pay the regular passenger vehicle rate. TxDOT officials estimate that truck drivers will save up to $18 per trip by using the reduced-rate routes.
The department said that it could only make the reduction temporary because it still has to collect enough money to repay debts on toll revenues it pledged.
The toll reduction comes following the success of a similar pilot program run by the department in late 2011 through January 2012. During that pilot, TxDOT reported that truck usage of SH 130 and SH 45SE increased by more than 50%.
