The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) is the governing body of Texas toll road. To cope up with the increasing population, CTRMA also creates transportation models to promote future road construction. Private toll roads are allowed in Texas. In the metropolitan areas to relieve the traffic managed lanes are preferred. These are the lanes that provide an option to avoid the heavily used road. The development of toll collection operating system services is managed by The Toll Operation Division.
In the current scenario of pandemic electronic toll collection has taken place all over the world. The manual toll collection method is older and time-consuming too. In spite of various benefit sometimes privacy of information can become an issue. Some passes of the electronic toll collection can be used at various other places other than toll payment. Texas is having approx. twenty-five toll roads. The toll revenues collected are invested in the further development of infrastructure and used for operating costs.
Texas Toll Road Length – Total Distance
Texas toll roads are 210.2km long. Texas is common in toll roads as compared to other states of the US. In Texas, the Interstate 35 (termed as I-35 or IH-35) is a main north-south Interstate Highway.
Texas Toll Schedule
Austin Toll Roads are operated by:
- Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
- SH 130 Concession Company
- Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA)
- Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority
- North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NETRMA)
- Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA).
Houston Toll Roads and Metro Lanes are operated by:
- Are operated by Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority (FBCTRA)
- Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA)
- Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO).
Toll Roads of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area are operated by:
- Toll Authority of North Texas (NTTA)
- Airport of DFW
Laredo Area Camino Colombia Toll Roads are operated by:
- Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Texas Toll Road Costs and Fares
- Time and Access based charges: In a time-based charging method of toll payment, a traveler must pay toll charges according to the usage. As per the method of charges based on access the driver must pay for the entry given him to a restricted zone for a period.
- Costing as per Motorway and Infrastructure Tolling: Here the toll is applicable based on a good infrastructure. The toll transaction becomes due at the time of driving through the tolling station which may be manually controlled or a free-flow multi-lane station.
- Costing as per Distance or Area Charging: In a distance or area charging system method of paying toll charges the vehicles are charged according the distance covered or traveled on the toll road. One direction toll is applicable on some of the Texas toll roads.
Texas Toll Road Pass: TX Tag, TollTag and EZ Tag (EZ Pass)
TX Tag, Toll Tag and EZ tag all of these are tag transponders that traveller can install in their vehicle for making payment of toll transactions electronically. Purchasing a TX Tag is a better option for the locations where it is acceptable. Only cash is accepted at some of the bridges on Mexico Texas border and alternatively, the NTTA toll tag can be used. Toll payment in Texas is accepted when payment is made via NTTA Toll Tag.
- TollTag: The North Texas Toll way Authority (NTTA)is the issuing authority that permits drivers to pay tolls without stopping at toll booths.
- TX Tag: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)is the issuing authority that entitles travellers to move rapidly through the toll lanes without any delay.
- EZ Tag: The tolling agencies Houston uses the EZ tag, Texas allow drivers to make payment of tolls without any time delay at toll booths. It can also be used on all the tolled roadway lanes operating on the electronic toll collection system.
Texas TX Tag Account Signup Procedure: Recharge Toll Card and Pay Online Bills and Fines
Here are some of the different methods to register your account on TX Tag Account.
Online Registration
- In just a few minutes you can create your account.
- Your TX Tag will be mailed within 3-4 business days activated and in immediate installation-ready format.
On-call Registration
- TX Tag Customer Service Centre toll-free at 1-888-468-9824 from 8A.M. – P.M. Monday to Friday.
- Saturday and Sunday- closed
TX Tag Account Login
Visit the official website to get the link for login into your account below are the further details of login process:
- Tab on the My TX tag account on the options button on the left-hand side.
- Account Number
- Enter your usernamein the login field.
- Type your password
Make sure that all the required field is filled properly.
How to Make Texas Toll Payments?
- ELECTRONIC TAG payment mode: Paying through Electronic tags is widely accepted on 183A, 290 Toll, the MoPac Express Lane, 71 Toll Lane, 45SW Toll, 183 Toll and all on all other toll roads of Texas. A toll transaction paid using toll tag account avails saving up to 33 percent.
- MAIL payment mode: Travellers on the toll road without any electronic transponder will receive a mail of toll transaction bill through the Pay by Mail program. Vehicle information must be in updated form for the bill to be sent to the address recorded at the time of registration.
The Pay by Mail travellers must pay on an increased toll rates than for drivers who pay using an electronic tag to equalize the cost of license plate details and mailing the toll bill.
The pay by mail bill arrives with an additional $1.00 processing charge of toll transaction. Customers of pay by mail has a time period of 30 days to pay their bill either personally, via cheque, online or over the phone.
Other various ways to pay Pay toll bill are given below:
- By Mail
- Online: official website
- Phone: Call 1-833-762-8655
- Personally
Texas Toll Road Violation and Fines
If a traveller did not have a TollTag while travelling on toll roads, then the driver would have to make payment of the unpaid toll with Zip Cash.
When a vehicle passes through the toll lane or plaza without paying the toll amount the cameras on the toll road captures an image of the licence plate and a bill for that transaction is mailed to the registered owner. ZipCash offers an option at higher rates for travellers who do not have a TollTag to pay by mail. On NTTA roads TollTag travellers avail the lowest toll rates. ZipCash payers must pay more than TollTag users. The toll violators receive bills monthly based on Simplified Billing structure.
ZipCash invoice can be paid in many ways given below:
- Online: Online Customer Service Centre Portal
- Phone: Please call at 972-818-NTTA (6882) or 817-731-NTTA (6882).
- Personally: Visit customer Service Center of NTTA
Texas Toll Road Map
- SH 130 (Seg 1-4) SH 130 (I 5 & 6) CTRMA.
- I-35 TEXpress Lanes. I-30 Managed Lanes. DFW Connector.
- Midtown Expressway.
- Grand Parkway – SH 99. HCTRA.
- Fort Bend. SH 288 Express Toll Lanes.
- Brazoria County.
- Loop 49.
- El Paso. CRRMA (Border Expressway)
- CCRMA (SH 550)
Texas Toll Road Bridges, Lanes and Expressways
Following are the toll bridges, lanes and expressways in Texas:
- TxDOT TX Tag
- SH 130 Extension Segments 5 and 6
- 183A Toll Road and Manor Expressway
- Cesar Chavez Managed Lanes / Loop 375
- Loop 49
- SH 550
- Westpark Tollway, Fort Bend Parkway, and Grand Parkway
- Hardy Toll Road, Hardy Airport Connector, Sam Houston Tollway, SH 242, Tomball Tollway, Katy Freeway Managed lanes
- METRO HOT lanes such as US-290 (Northwest Freeway), US-59 North (Eastex Freeway), US-59 South (Southwest Freeway), I-45 North (North Freeway), I-45 South (Gulf Freeway)
- Dallas North Tollway, President George Bush Turnpike and Eastern and Western Extension, Sam Rayburn Tollway, Chisholm Trail Parkway, Addison Airport Toll Road Tunnel, Mountain Creek Lake Toll Bridge, Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge
- DFW Airport International Parkway
- Camino Colombia (State Highway 255)
- Del Río-Ciudad Acuna International Bridge
- Alliance International Bridge (Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge)
- Camino Real International Bridge, Eagle Pass International Bridge,
- Paso Del Norte Bridge, Good Neighbor Bridge, Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge
- Juárez-Lincoln International Bridge, Gateway to the Americas International Bridge, World Trade Bridge, Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge
- Hidalgo International Bridge, Anzalduas International Bridge
- Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge
- Starr-Camargo Bridge
- Roma-Ciudad Miguel Alemán International Bridge
The Current Scenario of the Pandemic
During this period of pandemic, it is better off to make your payments by staying at home only using various updates and application launched by the government to take the safety precautions to make sure the prevention steps have to be followed by all of you. Government of Texas is laying emphasis on making payment electronically using your personal devices by using the below-given applications:
- Manage your account
- Pay a toll(s) without an account
- Sign up for an account
- Resolve a violation
- Communication with a customer service representative on call
- The Toll Roads free app
Patience and cooperation are all needed by the public for the safety of themselves and employees too.