FAQ

The 183 South Project is being constructed by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (Mobility Authority) in order to improve safety, optimize system connectivity, and enhance local mobility along the US 183 corridor. The project extends 8 miles from US 290 to SH 71 in east Austin. The new $743 million expressway will serve as a gateway to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and as a bypass to I-35. It will reduce travel times and improve mobility for commuters, local drivers, visitors to the region, and people who prefer to use public transit, ride their bike or walk. The project includes:

•  A new tolled expressway featuring three lanes in each direction
• An improved non-tolled US 183 with up to three general purpose lanes in each direction
• A high tech traffic monitoring system for improved traffic management and emergency response
• Miles of new bicycle lanes, sidewalks, and shared use paths with connections to the regional trail system
• Upgrades to the visual appearance of the corridor through aesthetic enhancements and landscaping improvements

The 183 South Project was developed in coordination with the following partners: Mobility Authority; Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT); City of Austin; and Capital Metro.

The US 183 corridor from US 290 to SH 71 is one of Austin’s most important arterials. Constructed in the mid-1960s, the four-lane divided highway has seen only minor upgrades. As the primary route to and from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and points beyond, it carries more than 60,000 cars and trucks a day and drivers face significant congestion during peak travel times. As traffic congestion has increased, quality of life in adjacent neighborhoods has become increasingly impacted and travel times to the airport have become unpredictable. In 2011, the Mobility Authority and TxDOT launched an environmental study to assess the corridor and develop a reasonable and feasible approach to improve mobility. The study was approved in 2015 for construction to move forward.

The total project cost is approximately $743 million.

The project is being funded through a mix of toll revenue bonds, government loans and government grants. Specifically, the Mobility Authority issued toll revenue bonds in the amount of $252.2 million. The Federal Government provided a $282.2 million loan under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. The Texas Department of Transportation provided loans totaling $60 million plus a one-time grant of $146.3 million to help fund the non-tolled elements of the project.

Construction is projected to last just over four years and will occur in two phases:

• Phase I: Includes improvements between US 290/290 Toll and Technicenter Drive were completed in 2019
• Phase II: Includes improvements between Technicenter Drive and SH 71 and will be completed in early 2021

Travelers and residents will see work occurring throughout the length of corridor even though opening of the project will be phased.

To finish the project on schedule, construction may occur 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. However, the contractor will face financial penalties if a closure occurs outside of approved time frames. In order to minimize noise from construction activities, the project team will follow a set of guidelines designed to preserve quality of life for adjacent neighborhoods. The contractor has a dedicated manager in charge of all noise mitigation efforts who will oversee the operation of a 24 hour, bilingual hotline to monitor and address all public inquiries. Public concerns will be addressed in a timely manner by reviewing work procedures and shifting work schedules where appropriate to lessen the duration of intrusive noise. To ensure that noise levels are not overly disruptive to the community, environmental inspectors will monitor the project and enforce reasonable noise levels. In addition, roadway signage will inform members of the public in advance of any noise-producing construction activities.

We are committed to being a good neighbor to residents along the 183 South corridor. While constructing a project of this size will have to include some temporary lane closures, we want to minimize the inconvenience as much as possible. As such, we have incentivized the contractor to plan US 183 mainlane closures during off-peak times when possible, and to complete most traffic-impacting activities at night. Our intention is for the majority of traffic-impacting activities to occur during the following off-peak times, whenever possible:

• Sunday Morning: 12:00 Midnight to 10:00 AM
• Sunday Evening: 6:00 PM to 12 Midnight
• Monday-Friday Morning: 12:00 Midnight to 6:00 AM
• Monday-Friday Evening: 8:00 PM to 12:00 Midnight
• Saturday Morning: 12:00 Midnight to 10:00 AM
• Saturday Evening: 6:00 PM to 12:00 Midnight

In most cases, day time work will be focused on construction activities outside the immediate roadway. While it is our goal to limit lane reductions as much as possible, frontage road lane reductions may occur for an extended period of time for crews to construct the non-tolled general purpose lanes. In most circumstances, work occurring on holidays or during special local events will be limited to activities that do not impact traffic. Lane closures on major holidays or during local events that draw large crowds to the City will be avoided when possible and will require special permission by the Mobility Authority and TxDOT. Safety is our priority and incident response will be addressed expeditiously, with assistance from public safety officials as needed. During temporary closures that are anticipated to have a significant impact or cause extended travel time delays, law enforcement officers will be present.

The Mobility Authority is committed to ensuring local residents are fully informed about construction work and drivers are kept up to speed on potential travel delays. There are three ways you can be alerted to construction activity and lane closures:

1. Sign up here for email and/or text alerts
2. Visit the project website at 183South.com
3. Follow us on Twitter @183South

Under a design-build approach the contractor is responsible for both producing the roadway design and constructing the project. The design/build delivery method can improve efficiencies, reduce costs and provide a timelier project completion.

The majority of the property or right-of-way required for the project is already owned by the state. A small amount of additional property has been acquired for pedestrian bridges, shared-use paths and utility easements. However, no homes or businesses are being acquired.

The crossovers at 51st Street, Technicenter Drive, Bolm Road, Vargas Road, and Thompson Lane are being removed for improved safety and enhanced mobility as a result of traffic data and engineering analysis reports. With the removal of those crossovers, you will instead cross US 183 using non-signalized U-turns at nearby intersections. While you may have to travel a little further, the travel time will be similar, and, in some cases, possibly less. For example, drivers heading east on 51st Street will no longer have to stop and wait at a traffic signal before crossing US 183. Instead they will be able to immediately turn right onto the southbound general purpose lanes. They will then travel south to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard where they will be able to make an immediate U-turn without passing through the signalized intersection.

Very much so. The environmental study, approved in March 2015, assessed the direct and indirect impacts of the proposed transportation improvements to the human and natural environment. Potential direct and indirect impacts were also analyzed cumulatively. You can read our discussion of this analysis in the environmental study document here. In short, the Mobility Authority and TxDOT are aware that growth along the corridor may happen as a result of the project as well as other factors. For example, we’ve been aware for some time of the city of Austin’s plan for a park northeast of US 183 and Bolm Road and as a result, we’ve planned for a bicycle/pedestrian crossing at that location.

No—it will actually reduce the number of traffic signals from five to two for drivers traveling from the north end of 183 (Anderson Mill/Lakeline area) to the airport. Drivers traveling this route currently pass through traffic signals at Loyola Lane, 51st Street, Technicenter Drive, Vargas Road, and Thompson Lane. Once the 183 South Project is complete, those traveling this route to the airport will be able to take the non-tolled general purpose lanes and will only have to pass through traffic signals at Loyola Lane and Montopolis Drive.

One of the project’s key goals is to enhance the corridor’s landscape. Nearly 2,000 native, drought-resistant trees will be planted throughout the corridor that will reduce water consumption and help prevent soil erosion. Some existing landscape will need to be removed for construction to occur. Native landscaping at key locations will be planted to help improve the visual appeal of the corridor. Working with the community, the project team identified a number of large oak trees that will be nurtured and protected during construction to minimize the risk of loss. In addition, the Mobility Authority has partnered with the non-profit group TreeFolks to promote maintenance and expansion of the urban tree canopy in Austin.

The 183 South Toll Road, the non-tolled general purpose lanes, and all of the bicycle and pedestrian facilities will have a concrete surface.

The project includes adding $25 million in bicycle and pedestrian facilities that span the entire lengths of the corridor, including:

• Conversion of the steel truss bridge over the Colorado River into a bicycle and pedestrian bridge
• Construction of a bicycle and pedestrian trail head at the Colorado River
• New pedestrian bridges crossing over the US 183 corridor at Springdale Road, YMCA/East 51st Street and Bolm Road
• Bike lanes on the US 183 general purpose lanes
• 10-foot-wide shared use path constructed along the entire 8-mile corridor

In addition, users of the facility will also have the choice to ride a Capital Metro bus or registered van pool. Capital Metro buses and registered van pools travel toll-free on the 183 South Toll Road.

Central Texas does not receive enough funding from federal and state taxes to pay for all of the transportation improvements that are needed. Tolling entities like the Mobility Authority have the flexibility to fund needed infrastructure improvements by borrowing money to build the facilities and then using the revenue from tolls to repay those loans. Tolling is a user-based fee, similar to fees charged for the use of other public facilities such as parking garages, public buses and recreational facilities. User fees differ from taxes because you have the choice whether or not to use the toll facility and you receive a specific service in exchange for paying the toll. Taxes are not optional. Drivers have the option to pay tolls or take alternate routes while taxes are mandatory and charged to everyone. Learn more about the Mobility Authority and tolling here.

Toll rates will be comparable to those charged on other Mobility Authority toll roads like 290 Toll.  A trip on the entire 8-mile 183 South Expressway is expected to cost less than $3.00 (approximately 29-cents per mile) for customers with an electronic tag when the project is fully open in ealy 2021. The toll will be less for shorter trips. Actual toll rates will be set by the Mobility Authority Board of Directors prior to the project’s opening.

Tolls will be collected electronically from drivers with a TxTag, TollTag or EZ-Tag. Drivers who don’t have a tag account will still be able to use the tolled lanes and will be billed through the Pay By Mail program. Cameras will capture a photo of the vehicle’s license plate and a toll bill will be mailed to the owner. Drivers who pay with a TxTag, TollTag, or EZ Tag receive a toll discount of 33 percent..

No. Use of the 183 South Expressway toll lanes will be optional. The Mobility Authority is also reconstructing the non-tolled US 183 general-purpose lanes, eliminating a number of traffic signals and in some areas of the corridor adding additional lanes. Drivers will always have the option to use these non-tolled general-purpose lanes.

Based on data from other toll roads operated by the Mobility Authority it is anticipated that approximately 35% of peak hour drivers will choose to use the toll road and the remaining 65% will use the non-tolled general purpose lanes. Under this scenario there will be plenty of capacity on both the toll road and the non-tolled general purpose lanes to accommodate the projected traffic.

On the toll roads operated by the Mobility Authority, tolls are waived under state law for:

• Emergency vehicles
• State and federal military vehicles
• Public transit buses
• Capital Metro registered vanpools
• MetroAccess vehicles

The Board Members and staff of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority honor and appreciate the service of the men and woman of our military forces, past and present. 

As of November 1, 2018, the Mobility Authority offers a discounted toll program to Congressional Medal of Honor, Legion of Valor, and Purple Heart recipients as well as disabled veterans who qualify and meet the requirements for specialty license plates.

To be eligible to participate in the Qualified Veteran Discount Program, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority requires that, at the time of the transaction, the vehicle be compliant with the following:

• Standard registration with the State of Texas, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles;
• Issued a qualifying specialty plate and have it properly displayed;
• Associated to an electronic tag account with the electronic tag properly displayed on the windshield; and
• Have no outstanding Mobility Authority toll violations.

The following tags are accepted for our program: TxTag, TollTag, EZ Tag, K-Tag, Pikepass, or BancPass.

Program participation is limited to one (1) vehicle per veteran and does not apply to the MoPac Express Lane. Tolls incurred prior to successful registration in our program must be fully resolved to be eligible for participation in the discount program.

For more information and to register, click here.

For more information, questions or concerns you can call the project hotline at (512) 640-0060 or toll free at 1-855-245-4272 or visit the website at www.183South.com. You can also sign-up for the e-newsletter or schedule a presentation with the project team for your organization or group.