Express lanes, rush hour
For one trip on a highway you already paid for.
The express lanes on I-35W, I-820, SH 121/183 and LBJ sit on Texas state highways. Private investor groups set the price and keep the tolls until 2061. That's 35 more years. Here's who they are, what the state put in, and how to tell the Legislature it's time to act.
$24 was posted on the SH 121/183 express lanes during rush hour, as reported by NBC 5 DFW. CBS Texas has reported $20 tolls on the same stretch.
Your bill until 2061
What do you spend on express lane tolls in a typical month? Check your toll tag statement, or guess.
That's what you'd pay over the 35 years left on the contracts, if prices never went up. Last year they rose 9 to 13 percent.15
Simple arithmetic: monthly tolls, times twelve, times the years to September 2061. Not adjusted for inflation or price increases, so it understates.
How a public road gets a private price
Texas owns the land and the highway.11 But in 2009 the state signed long contracts with private groups: they rebuilt the road, added toll lanes, and in exchange got the right to set prices and keep the tolls on those lanes for about fifty years.1
The prices aren't fixed. They're recalculated every five minutes to keep the toll lanes moving at 50 mph, and the contracts let them go past the normal cap when traffic is heavy.1213 That's how one trip ends up costing more than $20.
Who's collecting
Each road is run by its own company, owned by a small group of investors. The lead investor on all three is Cintra, the toll road arm of Ferrovial, now headquartered in Amsterdam.18
| Investor | What it is | Based in | Roads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cintra (Ferrovial) | Toll road developer, lead partner | Netherlands, founded in Spain | NTE, NTE 35W, LBJ |
| Meridiam | Infrastructure investment fund | France | NTE, NTE 35W, LBJ |
| APG | Manager of Dutch pension money | Netherlands | NTE 35W, LBJ |
| Dallas Police and Fire Pension System | Public pension fund | Texas | LBJ |
This isn't about where the investors are from. They're mainstream investors from allied countries, and a Texas pension fund holds a stake in LBJ. The problem is the deal: a public highway, private control of the price, a fifty-year term, and almost no public reporting on what drivers pay or where it goes.
10,000 names before the Legislature opens
The 90th Texas Legislature convenes January 12, 2027. We'll hand every member the signatures from their own district and four specific asks: cap surge tolls, open the books, price the buyout, and no new deals without a vote.
Session opens in 87 days.
Takes about a minute. The letter is written; you add your name.