Use of Austin-area toll roads increases

The four toll roads in the Austin area operated by the Texas Department of Transportation, after having sparse traffic when they first opened a decade ago, have seen steadily increasing use.

Based on figures from the first six months of the 2016-17 fiscal year, here are five things to know about the growing revenue of the Central Texas Turnpike System:

What’s in the system?

The northern 49 miles of Texas 130 (the southern 40 miles is run by private interests), Texas 45 North, Texas 45 Southeast and Loop 1 (MoPac Boulevard north of Parmer Lane), a total of 73 miles.

What’s the current usage?

The system since Sept. 1 has averaged 402,000 toll transactions a day. A vehicle might have multiple transactions on a single trip. That generated $76.1 million in those six months. How does that compare with a year earlier?

Transactions are up 9 percent versus the same six months in 2015-16, and revenue is up 11 percent. Compared with projections made in 2014, the transactions so far this fiscal year are 15 percent above estimates and the revenue is 19 percent over the estimates.

Which road is doing the best?

Texas 130 transactions are up 12 percent and revenue is up 13 percent over 2015-16. And its revenue is 34 percent above the 2014 projection.

Is the system making money?

The system is projected to make about $70 million more this fiscal year than is owed in debt service payments. TxDOT officials say that even with operations and mainte

nance costs, the system now generates a surplus each year.