No Toll Lanes For U.S. 75 In Plano & Richardson
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - After an outcry from Collin County residents and leaders, regional transportation planners officially slammed the brakes on a controversial plan to introduce tolls on a busy North Texas highway. If approved, the plan would have allowed single drivers to use the HOV lanes on U.S. 75 Central Expressway from Richardson up to Allen as long as they paid a toll.
Planners hoped an additional 14,000 vehicles would have taken the HOV lanes each day. But drivers in Collin County objected.
They said they already have three tollroads there: the Dallas North Tollway, the Sam Rayburn Tollway, and the President George Bush Turnpike, and they don't want anymore.
Richardson's Mayor Laura Maczka is among those pleased the plan is dead for now. "I think it's a good interim solution to put it on hold. It has been very controversial. It's more than just the HOV lane. It's about capacity on U.S. 75, which is very important to the communities up and down."
Some Collin County elected leaders wanted to do away with the HOV lanes entirely. But the feds say that isn't allowed.
Local leaders now hope the state legislature and Congress will commit to building new roads -- without requiring tolls.
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