Some much needed traffic relief has arrived for Dallas drivers but it comes at a cost. Part of the new LBJ TEXpress toll lanes opened on the I-635 LBJ Freeway from Preston Road to Greenville Avenue Saturday.
The tolls change based on traffic volume. Click on this sentence for a link to the full pricing chart. It’s called dynamic pricing and some drivers aren’t so sure about it yet.
“Probably take some adjusting, getting used to the idea but I don’t like it,” said Kevin Johnson who we found gassing up near the LBJ Freeway.
If traffic is light on the 3.2 mile section of road, you could pay as little as 15-cents to get on it. But during congested times like rush hour it could cost 95-cents… even more after the first month.
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Electronic signs tell drivers before the toll lanes how much the toll is at that moment. People can decide then if it’s worth it.
“Hopefully it would be worth it,” said John Stephens of Dallas. “Hope you don’t pay to get in the lane and you’re really not going any faster if it’s clogged up.”
That shouldn’t happen. The idea behind the dynamic pricing is if you get on the toll lanes you will be able to travel at least 50 miles per hour. Some critics say it’s a fast lane for the rich, while less well-off people will have to stay in the regular congested lanes.
Dashawn Thomas said it’s the driver’s choice and he may choose to pay the price if he’s in a hurry.
“It’ll be cool,” said Thomas. "If we’re paying to get out of traffic we should be flow, flow, flow like water.”
There are two more major phases of the LBJ TEXpress Project, the next to be completed by the middle of 2014.
The entire $2.7-billion dollar LBJ TEXpress Project is expected to be finished in December 2015.
