Техас штатындағы Харрис округы жол төлемі басқармасы

The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA, pronounced "HECK trah") maintains and operates a 103 mile (166 km) toll road system in the Greater Houston area of Texas, United States. Its headquarters are located in Houston's Fairbanks/Northwest Crossing neighborhood.

HCTRA came into being in September 1983 after Harris County voters a $900 million bond referendum by a 7–3 margin to release up to $900 million in bonds to create two toll roads – the Hardy Toll Road and the Sam Houston Tollway – to improve the regional mobility and reduce traffic congestion in the Greater Houston area, an area known for rapid population growth. The need for a county run toll road system came from TxDOT's budget shortfall and its inability to authorize funding to upgrade the second loop around the city, Beltway 8, which had been on planning maps since the 1950s. The Texas Turnpike Authority turned down the opportunity to improve the road as well, leaving the county to upgrade the road to freeway standards. However, Harris County could not afford to build and maintain a freeway from its general fund. 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 Lindsay is generally credited with shepherding the referendum from its infancy to its passage, along with the implementation of the plan for the roadway. HCTRA was a part of Harris County's Public Infrastructure Department and is subdivided into a Services and an Operations Division. While for many years, the Hardy Toll Road never had the traffic that the HCTRA envisioned it would need to turn a profit, the Sam Houston Tollway has more than made up for the lost revenue. The high profit margins on the Sam Houston Tollway allowed the authority to construct its third and fourth toll roads, the Westpark Tollway and Fort Bend Toll Road, both of which opened in 2004. Both of these toll roads have termini in Fort Bend County and are run in conjunction with the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority. HCTRA also operates managed lanes that run along the median of I 10/Katy Freeway between SH 6 and I 610 that opened in April 2009. The most recent project of HCTRA is the Tomball Tollway, which was completed in phases between 2015 and 2019. On March 1, 2020, operations of the Lynchburg Ferry and the Washburn Tunnel were transferred from Harris County Precinct 2 to the Harris County Toll Road Authority. There are no plans for HCTRA to implement tolls either the Lynchburg Ferry or the Washburn Tunnel. Nevertheless, HCTRA's involvement will include plans to improve the operations of both facilities, as well as much needed repairs and upgrades.

The HCTRA uses their own toll tag called the EZ TAG. The system has been interoperable with the Texas Department of Transportation's TxTag and the North Texas Tollway Authority's TollTag since 2003. Around the 3rd quarter of 2017, the system will be interoperable with the Kansas Turnpike Authority's K Tag and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's PikePass. This section does not include (within Harris County) the Grand Parkway (SH 99 Toll) and the SH 288 toll lanes. The former is maintained by TxDOT while the latter is operated by the Blueridge Transportation Group on behalf of TxDOT.

This 4 mile (6 km) long project will provide a connection between Downtown Houston and the current terminus of the Hardy Toll Road at I 610. Planning for the Hardy Toll Road connection into Downtown Houston was announced in 2000. The project will be completed in two phases. Phase I consists of moving a railroad line, right of way acquisition, and the construction of two overpasses. Phase II will be the construction of 4 toll lanes. Relocation of the rail line is expected to begin Fall of 2012.

To relieve congestion on surface streets, direct connectors between Hardy Toll Road and Beltway 8 will be constructed. Currently there is only one direct connector ramp from Beltway 8 East to Hardy Toll Road North. Expected construction start date is unknown.

This project (which began in early 2020) will add a total of four direct connectors: two from northbound Tomball Tollway to east and westbound SH 99 (Grand Parkway), with the other two connecting to southbound Tomball Tollway from east and westbound SH 99. Ramps from SH 99 to southbound Tomball Tollway opened in July 2022; Tomball Tollway ramps to SH 99 remain under construction.

The project will connect I 610 via the South Post Oak exit (which terminates south of West Bellfort) to the northern terminus of the Fort Bend Parkway at US 90 Alternate with just over 3 mile (5 km) of tolled lanes. In October 2019, HCTRA began to examine plans for the segment utilizing the original 2003 schematics.

Project is no longer being built, as of March 30, 2010.

The planned project would have added four tolled lanes along the Hempstead Highway corridor between I 610 and the future Grand Parkway (SH 99) northwest segment. The project was one component of the complete US 290 corridor upgrade by TxDOT, which also included added capacity to US 290, a new HOV system parallel to the Hempstead Highway, and a possible commuter rail line in conjunction with METRO. However, in April 2012, it was announced by HCTRA that the primacy of the Hempstead Tollway was handed off to TxDOT. Construction of the tollway by TxDOT is not anticipated for several years.

Although both of them are located within Montgomery County and were at the time owned and operated by Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA), HCTRA formerly collected tolls for MCTRA for two flyover ramps: one from northbound I 45 to SH 242 westbound and the other from westbound SH 242 to I 45 southbound near The Woodlands. Both flyover ramps were completed on May 11, 2015, and were tolled between July 6, 2015, and May 28, 2019. Both ramps solely utilized electronic toll collection, and required drivers to own an EZ TAG, TollTag or TxTag transponder. After a unanimous vote by the Montgomery County Commissioners Court on May 28, 2019, the tolls were lifted, and ownership and maintenance of both flyover ramps were transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). As a result, HCTRA stopped collecting tolls on the flyover ramps.

To help alleviate congestion on SH 288, HCTRA had planned to construct toll lanes in the median of the existing freeway. The route would begin at I 69/US 59 just south of Midtown and terminate at the intersection of the proposed Grand Parkway (SH 99) for a total length of 26 miles (41.8 km). HCTRA would have maintain its segment north of Clear Creek at the Brazoria County Line. Shortly before construction began in November 2016, TxDOT's Toll Operations Division took control of the project from HCTRA.