Toll fees start July 6 on SH 242 flyovers at I-45N

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - The free ride is over on the flyovers at I-45N and SH 242, starting Monday, July 6. The cost to use the flyover will be fifty cents per usage during peak hours of 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and a reduced toll of 25 cents from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Vehicles with more than two axles will be assessed higher fees based on the number of axles. (see related link for fee structure.)

One flyover allows I-45N northbound traffic heading west on SH 242, to bypass the intersection at this congested intersection. Another flyover moves traffic traveling west on SH 242 onto the I-45N southbound lanes. The capacity for each connector is 2,000 cars an hour. The Harris County Toll Road authority will operate the EZ Tag only ramps, so a couple of quarters aren’t going to get you from here to there. To obtain an EZ Tag click on the link provided.

Approximately three years and thirty-three million dollars later, the flyovers were open mid-May at no charge, which eased the holiday traffic for both the Memorial Day and July 4th weekends significantly, but now it’s time to pay the piper.

The result of a 2005 voter-approved county road bond, voters weren’t aware that they would have to pay to use the flyover ramps when they went to the polls ten years ago. That actually wasn’t part of the original plan. It was after the Commissioner’s Court meeting of June 1, that the Montgomery County commissioners voted 4-1 to assess the 50-cent toll, with Commissioner James Noack voting against it. The ramps are the first ever in Texas to be tolled.

“The tolls are the only way we can actually pay for the project," said County Judge Craig Doyal previously.

Judge Doyal explained that the state doesn't have the money to fund the construction, so something else had to be done.

Some are calling toll projects a form of double taxation. May 23 of this year, Texans across the state rallied on the Capitol steps in Austin, to protest toll road fees. Initially tolls are used to pay off construction costs, but they typically remain in place to cover maintenance and fund future projects.

Another source reported Judge Doyal as saying part of the revenue would be used to retire debt on the project, and part would be used for future projects.

Also of note, the Maverick Way entrance into Lone Star College Montgomery is no longer accessible to traffic heading west coming from I-45N, unless motorists are traveling on the new flyover. Maverick Way is the entrance closest to I-45N. The second and third entrances to the college will have to be used. Traffic traveling east on Texas 242 towards I-45N will still will be able to use the Maverick Way entrance.

Monday morning Montgomery County commuters can either pay to use the flyovers, or pay additional time sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic in what is considered the busiest intersection in the county. It’s a matter of what you feel your time is worth.

Voters would be wise to take some time and ask for specific information before the next road bond is crafted and placed on the ballot for a vote.

#NobodyRidesForFree