After a tense meeting, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization voted to toll portions of five roads that have already been built.
Members of pro-toll Take on Traffic and the anti-toll group Austin Toll Party exchanged heated words Monday night at Anderson High School in North Austin.
The 19 CAMPO board members were split 15-4 in approving five toll roads.
Soon to be tolled are: U.S. 290 East between 183 and State Highway 130, U.S. 183 between Springdale and Patton, SH-71 near Riverside, U.S. 290 West at SH-71 (known as the "Y" at Oak Hill) and SH-45 from MoPac south to FM 1626.
HOV lanes will be part of the new toll roads.
Board members say tolling these new roads was the only option the Texas Department of Transportation gave them for funding new roads. Under the $1.5 billion toll plan, TxDOT will pay $910 million for construction.
 |  |
 | |  |
| | | | | | | |
Toll roads
News 8's Reagan Hackleman reports from North Austin.
 
| | |
| | | | | |
|
"No one likes to be bullied. We were plainly instructed that we would not get the necessary funds to relieve what is by all estimates intolerably congested roads in this region," board member and Travis County commissioner Sarah Eckhardt said.
Four of the 19 board members voted against all five toll roads. They are Sunset Valley council member Jeff Mills, Austin City Council member Jennifer Kim, Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and Hays County Judge Elizabeth Sumter.
The board did vote to take two proposed portions of Highway 71 off the toll list, which had already been paid for by taxpayer money.
"The roads we voted to approve tonight that will have tolls really had no funding options at all. So now we'll see these roads finally get built," board member and Austin City Council member Brewster McCracken said.
