Texas Transportation tollway being previewed

A US$1.5 billion Interstate project is being put forward for approval in the US State of Texas. The LBJ East project is being proposed the city of Dallas and will be an 18km stretch of Interstate 635 that will connect Central Expressway with Interstate 30. The project has been planned by the Texas Transportation Department and is intended to boost capacity in the areas around Lake Highland, Garland, Far East Dallas and Mesquite. The proposed route calls for two of the seven lanes on the widened Interstate stretch to be tolled and these would be linked to similarly tolled lanes on a section of the Central Expressway. By having two lanes on the LBJ East route operating under a tolling system, this will help deliver sufficient revenue to fund around 1/3rd of the total project costs. For the project to get the go ahead, it does require the official approval of state lawmakers for Texas however. This legal requirement has so far slowed progress with the project, delaying the start of construction works to 2020 and with the link now expected to open to traffic in 2024.