Williamson County considers building tollway along Ronald Reagan Boulevard

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - Williamson County is considering a new tollway along Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

This project specifically looks at the portion of Ronald Reagan Boulevard between FM 1431 and I-35.

What we know:

County Commissioner Cynthia Long is working on a project that could extend parts of Ronald Reagan into eight lanes with tolls.

"Envision two, a northbound and a southbound, lanes, kind of spread apart as far as you can, and the new lanes would be in the middle of that, and those would be the ones that would be what they call manage lanes, that you would pay a toll on," said Long.

Existing lanes would remain toll-free.

It's a 30-mile project with five segments.

"The population explosion that has been happening up and down Ronald Reagan has been nothing short of amazing," said Long.

County asking for feasibility studies

Dig deeper:

The county is asking cities in the project’s pathway to approve a feasibility study, which will tell them if a tollway along Ronald Reagan is even possible.

"The traffic just continues to increase, and it makes me nervous, we haven't even, we’re not aware of any other people really thinking about solutions at this point, and so to have at least something done to understand a potential solution, again recognizing I think Eric’s comment, there’s not an expectation that if something comes forward that this is sort of giving a green light," said Cedar Park City Council Member Bobbi Hutchinson in a meeting.

Cedar Park City Council agreed at the end of March to the study, but Leander City Council just had too many questions to vote last week.

"What is the economic impact and kind of duck tailing into that is how does this affect the city’s ability to develop the city’s commercial corners and properties along the segment?" said Leander City Manager Todd Parton during the council meeting last week.

Possible funding sources

Dig deeper:

There’s no funding for the project, but Long estimates it would cost more than half a billion dollars, which is why she wants the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to join them.

"Nobody wants to be stuck in traffic, and if we’ve got the opportunity for an additional partner to come in and help fund part of this project," said Long. "That’s huge. It takes a burden off the local taxpayers and allows really the users to pay for the project."

The CTRMA sent the following statement to FOX 7 Austin:

"It is our understanding that a study of a potential expansion of Ronald Reagan Blvd was discussed at recent Cedar Park and Leander City Council meetings. The project has not been formally initiated, nor have we had substantive discussions with Williamson County on next steps. We look forward to entering into those conversations in the near term. Once we’ve had the opportunity to meet with our regional partners, we will be able to provide more information."

What's next:

According to county officials, a study typically takes about a year to finish.

Long says her next step is getting the CTRMA on board to help with the studies and project if it gets the green light.

This conversation regarding a tollway along Ronald Reagan comes from the county's Long Range Transportation Plan, which was funded from a voter-approved bond in 2013.

At this point, any changes to Ronald Reagan have no funding or a construction timeline.