Toll Road Relief Act

A Brief History of the HCTRA

The Harris County Toll Road Authority came into existence in September 1983 when Harris County voters approved a referendum by a 7-3 margin to release up to $900 million dollars in bonds to create two toll roads — the Hardy Toll Road and the Sam Houston Tollway — to improve regional mobility and reduce traffic congestion in the Greater Houston area.

The need for a county-run toll road system came from TX DOT budget shortfalls and its inability to authorize funding to upgrade Beltway 8, which had been on the planning maps since the 1950s. The Texas Turnpike Authority turned down the opportunity as well, leaving the county to act.

Shortly after the referendum, the Commissioners Court created the Toll Road Authority to administer the construction and operation of the new road system. Then County Judge Jon Lindsey is generally credited with guiding the referendum from its start to its passage.

The Roads Paid for Themselves — Long Ago

For most residents of Harris County in those early days, the understanding was that once the roads had paid for themselves, they would become part of the Freeway System. The $900 million invested in 1983 seems like a very small investment compared to the billions and billions in tolls that have been collected since.

Today it's time to create a new chapter in the history of the HCTRA. As residents and citizens of Harris County, we should be charting a new path with regards to how the Toll Road System is administered.