Officials should tread lightly in considering new toll authority

June 1, 2008

Dallas Morning News Suburban Editorial Board

Members of the Collin County Commissioners Court are entering unknown waters in the area of transportation. They need to make sure they don't get in over their heads.

At issue is their recent vote to explore formation of the county's own tollway agency, which could compete with the North Texas Tollway Authority for future road projects.

Exploration, fine. Given the scarcity of road-building dollars, exploring alternative ways of paying for highways and seeking fair treatment for Collin County makes sense.

As County Judge Keith Self puts it, "We need to educate ourselves."

As Commissioner Joe Jaynes puts it, "We owe it to our citizens."

However, while sorting out options is a responsible step for public officials, we would part with them if it leads to a go-it-alone adventure that hampers the effort to build a seamless multi-county transportation network.

Good transportation planning recognizes that communities are interrelated and that major transportation projects serve people from far-flung areas. On a smaller scale, it was that logic that led voters to support last year's county bond package despite opposition from Mr. Self, who wanted cities to fend for themselves on road projects.

When it comes to tolls, county officials cite two future projects as "major assets" from which the county should try to reap maximum benefit: the Dallas North Tollway extension north of County Road 428 and the local segment of the 10-county outer loop.

It may sound enticing to independently develop these projects to conserve locally paid tolls for local use. But that could end up being more expensive in the long run. First, the NTTA's toll roads typically have counted on state and local tax money for much of the construction costs. That requires a cooperative financing effort with regional planners and government officials.

Second, the region's giant outer loop is envisioned as eventually tying into a north-south reliever road for Interstate 35 (call it the Trans-Texas Corridor, or whatever). The loop would not just serve local travel; it would function as a revenue-producing bypass for through truck and car traffic.

Balkanizing the massive effort could hamper what Collin County residents certainly want: faster development of a regional asset that would divert interstate haulers from the heart of our cities. Plus, local drivers have needs beyond the confines of the county lines. NTTA toll roads now help speed travel from Collin County to D/FW Airport, for example. It took cooperative effort to make that happen.

Mr. Jaynes says officials are not anti-region and "not trying to circle the wagons." Equity and best value for the county are the goals, he says. County residents surely sign on to those goals. But they shouldn't at the expense of a broader vision.