Here a toll, there a toll...everywhere a toll toll...and I love it!

I love...love...love the new toll ways in and around Austin... So call me crazy but the new toll roads in Austin make my life easier and I truly appreciate them.

I find using the tolls in the Austin area much less stressful than sitting in traffic on I35. I "office" South of Austin, in Kyle Texas, but I work all the way up to Georgetown and Leander. So if I'm heading up north to Leander I can use the Mopac/183 toll, or if I need to head from East Round Rock across town to Cedar Park area I can jump on I45 and be there in a jiffy.

Yes it does cost me extra money to drive on the tolls ($.68 per leg with the TxTag) but the roads are so nice and smooth. More importantly I am moving which believe me is not always the case on I35 during rush hour. So I can just turn on my music and sit back and enjoy the drive.

My cup runneth over...

But it's the new section of 130 toll that has me absolutely over the moon. If you live in Austin you may not appreciate this. You may never use this section, heck you may never have to use any of the tolls, but for me the new leg of 130 is going to be a welcomed with open arms. This section is going to hit I35 just north of Buda Texas. (See map of Austin Toll roads.)

When this leg of the toll is complete, (year end 2009) I will be able to jump on the toll near Buda, totally bypass downtown, and meet with clients at Pflugerville, Round Rock or even all the way up at Georgetown totally bypassing downtown traffic. YEE HA! (Already you can take Highway 1327 to 183, head south a quarter of a mile, and catch 130 and then you can head north. I've used in several times in the past few weeks and enjoyed the drive.)

130 will help change how people view the Real Estate Market on the East Side...

This new east side toll way is going to totally change the landscape and real estate market on the entire Eastern Corridor parallel to I35. Right now as I drive this section I marvel at the fact that it is totally open land with virtually nothing built up. Fast forward five years and this will be a hotbed of activity. This toll opens up areas such as Hutto and Elgin previously considered ‘too far out' as they are now much more accessible to downtown or any other area of Austin now.

Buy the Texas Tag

While you can pay as you go on the tolls, I'd recommend that you buy a Texas Tag (TxTag). This nifty little sticker is put on your windshield and as you drive on Texas toll roads (anywhere in Texas by the way), devices above the toll lanes send a signal to the microchip inside your tag and deduct the toll from your prepaid TxTag account. Plus, you get a 10 percent discount on when you pay with TxTag. (You can go to the Texas Tag website, or buy one at some of the toll booths.)

How much does it cost ...

Tolls are based on how far you drive and what kind of vehicle you're driving. Drivers pay a toll each time they pass through a toll plaza(for a car with the TxTag each stop is roughly $.68). Depending on where you get on or get off the toll road, drivers also pay a toll on certain entrance and exit ramps. I've honestly not paid much attention to the toll fees at this point as I weigh the cost against the additional time I save by not getting caught in downtown traffic. (I have saved 30 minutes to an hour or more in a single day.) Add that to the fact I enjoy driving on the more open roads of the toll. So for me it's well worth it.

So again check out the attached map of the Austin Toll roads and see if they could help you out on your next trip across town.

So I cannot leave without saying thank you to all those folks at the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas highway Department and all of the civil engineers. I went to an engineering school (Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana) and my hat's off to you. Considering the magnitude of this project, I find they have handled redirecting traffic really well. Thanks a bunch!