The Collin County Observer™

Denton County consultant says Collin to seek larger share of toll proceeds
By Kevin Bowen, McKinney? Courier-Gazette
(Created: Sunday, August 5, 2007 10:11 PM CDT)

Expect Collin County to try to change an agreement on the division of State Highway 121 proceeds and move money to Collin County, the Denton County Commission’s transportation consultant told the Denton County Commission at a meeting this week.

John Polster, the county’s transportation consultant, said he expects Collin County officials to make a “full-court press” to change the agreement on the division of SH 121 funds at a Regional Transportation Committee meeting set for Thursday.

Denton County is expected to receive $1.5 billion of $3.3 billion generated by the tollway. Polster told the commission that new proposals from the Collin County delegation would re-divide that money and send it eastward.

Polster said the current proposal is based on a calculation of vehicle-miles traveled. Polster said the Collin County officials would try to point out demographics, the amount of road construction needed in a county, and to suggest dividing the funds by the county of origin for toll tags.

Polster said Denton County will generate the majority of revenue, because SH 121 is more critical to Denton County transportation than to Collin County, which has many alternative roadway options.

“It’s a very captive audience,” he said, of Denton County SH121 users. He said he has seen some movement toward the Collin County position in recent days, particularly cities in Collin County that had been in support of the previous agreement. He asked commissioners to contact officials in the area to shore up support for the vehicle-miles formula. Collin County officials could not be reached by press time.