The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA, Mobility Authority) is an independent government agency created in 2002 to improve the transportation system in Travis and Williamson Counties in Texas. The Mobility Authority is headquartered at 3300 N. IH 35 in Austin.
Governance
The Mobility Authority is overseen by a seven-member Board of Directors. The Governor appoints the Chairman, and the Travis and Williamson Counties Commissioners Courts each appoint three members to serve on the Board. Board members serve two-year terms and may be reappointed to subsequent terms. Board members are not compensated for their service. The Mobility Authority employs a professional staff of 32. The Mobility Authority uses private sector contractors with specialized expertise to provide staffing support for individual projects.
Enabling Legislation
The Mobility Authority was created and operates under the Texas Transportation Code Chapter 370 and is authorized under state law to implement a wide range of transportation systems including roadways, airports, seaports and transit services. The Mobility Authority is authorized to issue revenue bonds to fund projects and relies on toll collections to repay its bonds. It can receive grants from other government agencies to help finance projects, but does not have its own taxing authority.
Existing Toll Roads
183A Toll Road</p>
The Mobility Authority's first project was 183A, an 11.6 mile (18.7 km) toll road in southwest Williamson County. Construction of the US $238 million toll road began in March 2005 and was opened to traffic in March 2007. The road serves the fast-growing suburban communities of Cedar Park, Leander and Liberty Hill. 183A features a state-of-the art electronic toll collection system and became the second toll road in the United States to convert to cashless all-electronic tolling on December 1, 2008.</P>
In 2010, the Mobility Authority began a project to extend the tolled lanes of 183A 5-miles (8.0 km) from FM 1431/Whitestone Boulevard to near San Gabriel Parkway in Leander. The US $105 million 183A Northern Extension (Phase 2) project was opened to traffic in April 2012.</p>
As of 2020, the Mobility Authority had completed an Environmental Assessment to extend the 183A an additional 6.6 miles (10.6 km) from just north of Hero Way to just north of SH 29 in Liberty Hill. The 183A Phase 3 project was estimated to cost US $260 million. Construction was projected to start in 2021 with completion slated for 2024.</p>
290 Toll Road</p>
The Mobility Authority's second project was the 290 toll road, constructed in phases starting in 2010. Phase 1 of the project involved construction of four direct connect flyover ramps at the interchange between US 183 and US 290. The flyovers opened to traffic in December 2012. Phase 2 involved constructing three tolled lanes and three non-tolled frontage road lanes in each direction on a 6.2 mile (10.0 km) stretch of US 290 from US 183 to Manor just east of FM 734/Parmer Lane. The US $426 million project opened to traffic in May 2014. The project was designed from the outset to be among the first all-electronic cashless toll roads in the United States with no traditional cash toll booths.</P>
In 2019, the Mobility Authority began construction of three flyover ramps between SH 130 and the 290 toll road. The US $127 million project known as Phase 3, was developed in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, which funded the flyover ramp between the eastbound 290 toll road and southbound SH 130. The other two flyover ramps (southbound 130 to westbound 290 Toll and northbound SH 130 to westbound 290 Toll) were funded through the issuance of toll revenue bonds and are tolled. The Mobility Authority flyovers opened to traffic in phases between January and July 2020. The full project was completed in early 2021.</p>
During development of the original 290 Toll Road Phase 2 project, there were proposals to extend the toll road through Manor past FM 973. However, community opposition stalled those efforts. As of 2019, a grassroots effort had begun to reconsider the project and the Mobility Authority authorized an initial feasibility study for a potential Phase 4 project. </p>