CTRMA Approves 2019 Budget, Outlines Priorities

The budget includes initiatives aimed at increasing electronic toll tag usage, strengthening driver information and communication, leveraging technology…

In June, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Board of Directors unanimously approved the operating budget for the 2019 fiscal year. The budget includes initiatives aimed at increasing electronic toll tag usage, strengthening driver information and communication, leveraging technology to enhance customer service and convenience, and exploring alternate modes of transportation.

The Mobility Authority’s 2018 Strategic Plan guided budget development. The Plan is updated on a biennial basis, pursuant to Sec. 370.261 of the Texas Transportation Code, and serves as a roadmap to ensure the agency advances its mission to “implement innovative, multimodal transportation solutions that reduce congestion and create transportation choices that enhance quality of life and economic vitality.”

Priority: Advancements for Pay By Mail Program
Beginning this winter, the Mobility Authority is upgrading its back-office vendor. With agency oversight, the vendor will manage the agency’s Pay By Mail video tolling program for customers that do not have electronic toll tags.

As part of the transition, the Mobility Authority is developing a robust outreach program to improve our customers’ overall experience. The program will clarify billing and payment processes, encourage use of electronic toll tags, and introduce new toll payment options to meet customers’ varied needs.

The Mobility Authority accepts toll payments in a multitude of ways, but encourages electronic toll tags so customers can receive a 25 percent discount. We accept the following tags: TxDOT’s TxTag, NTTA’s TollTag, HCTRA’s EZ-TAG, and Kansas Turnpike Authority’s K-Tag.

Customers can also use BancPass or PlusPass. These are two toll payment account options that provide consumers the convenience of a toll tag while managing their account, their way: cash reloadable option, no minimum balance, they choose how much, and when to reload.

Priority: Hassle Free Travel from State to State
The Mobility Authority is working on a national level to advance interoperability efforts that will increase the number of electronic toll tags accepted on Central Texas roadways, providing drivers the ability to travel on toll roads throughout the United States using a single transponder. Collaboration continues with Oklahoma, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

Priority: Delivering Solutions Beyond Roadways
Getting around in Central Texas means more than just a congestion-free route for vehicles. The Mobility Authority is exploring alternate modes of transportation and mobility solutions that extend beyond the single occupant vehicle.

The Mobility Authority is working with regional partners to:

• Implement a regional Park & Ride system to encourage transit use and carpooling. Transit vehicles travel toll-free on Mobility Authority roadways.

• Develop regional mobility solutions using Traffic Demand Management initiatives to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles during peak travel times.

• Research new and alternative modes of travel and support regional efforts to prepare for the next generation of innovative technologies, such as automated and connected vehicles.

• Implement a roadway technology map that leverages intelligent transportation and connected vehicle systems, regional traffic management systems, queue and incident detection, and wrong-way driving detection to improve communication, reliability, and safety for drivers.

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) is an independent government agency created in 2002 to improve the transportation system in Williamson and Travis counties.