January 14, 2019
On Monday, January 14, Representative Jared Patterson filed HB 803, a transparency measure requiring all Texas toll road entities to publish toll road-specific financial data, instead of just system-wide information. The legislation is a major step forward for toll transparency.
“Residents of House District 106 are triple-taxed on transportation. We pay the gas tax, we pay tolls for our roads, and then we pay tolls to build roads in other areas. It’s time to shed light on each toll road individually so Texans have a better understanding of what their tolls are paying for and when the tolls can be reduced or eliminated,” said Representative Patterson. “This bill is a step toward that goal.”
House District 106 contains three major toll projects – the Dallas North Tollway, the Sam Rayburn Tollway, and the Lewisville Lake Bridge. Operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority, a regional tolling entity, revenues from these roads finance work in other areas of the metroplex.
“I know well the burdens carried by many Denton County drivers paying hundreds of dollars per month in tolls. People have a right to know the financial disposition of each toll project, not just the toll system as a whole,” said Representative Patterson. “Currently, this information is not readily available. Tolling authorities need to change that.”
Patterson’s focus is to reduce the overall cost of government, which includes tolls. Elected in November, Patterson’s district encompasses eastern Denton County, including Frisco, Plano, The Colony and Little Elm, each of which contains toll roads.
