Beefed-up Independent Study could save Central Texans HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars every year.

A managed lane facility in San Diego, California includes two reversible express lanes in the median of I-15. These lanes are separated from the other lanes with concrete barriers.

MORE POTENTIAL PROGRESS!

Council Members Brewster McCracken, Raul Alvarez and the Austin Toll Party worked hard to get the original independent study approved by Austin City Council months ago. That same study of Central Texas freeway tolls (Phase 2), will likely be expanded to include evaluation of using managed lanes rather than full-fledged tollways.

Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board voted Monday to endorsed the study. That vote is expected to pave the way for the additional dollars needed to expand the original study. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and Travis County and Williamson County commissioners courts are considering kicking in all or most of the additional $200,000 the expanded study will require.

Charles River Associates, a Boston company, has already begun the study. Most of the extra cost will go for computer modeling of the costs and performance of putting managed lanes -- typically free for carpools and buses with tolls for single-occupant vehicles -- on major Central Texas highways. Computer modeling assimilates a wide variety of data and then forecasts the future efficiency of a transportation plan. TxDOT and the CTRMA failed to provide any other options to CAMPO last summer, other than tolling Central Texas freeways. Therefore, the Phase 2 toll plan was never compared to any other options.

The independent study promises to include televised public hearings, where the public will be part of the process. A schedule of the public hearings is expected to be released in July.

The 9 to 12 month expanded study, along with our continued Austin Toll Party political pressure, may prove to be the "death nail" to the double taxation of Central Texans. In the end, the expanded study may save Central Texas families HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars a year in tolls as well as valuable time on the roads we've already paid for. We've done a great job to date, but, we've got a lot of work to do. So roll up your sleeves and call 371-9926 today.