SH 130 signIn Monday’s Ben Wear “Getting There” column, Wear recounted the third installment of the rush-hour road race series pitting SH 130 against IH-35. The first and second races were split, though there was controversy over the initial race in which IH-35 came out ahead, because the competition occurred between college semesters (thus devoid of the usual student traffic on IH-35), and in the morning, rather than the more congested evening, rush-hour traffic. In the third race, which took place on the afternoon of May 7, the longer SH 130 route beat the IH-35 route by 22 minutes, despite the race taking place between semesters of most local universities.

Wear notes that SH 130 revenues are 12% below TXDOT projections, likely due to less-than-expected numbers of large trucks, which pay more than cars, which is not altogether surprising in a recessionary economy; however, overall traffic is almost 18 percent above projections so more car drivers are finding the quicker trip worth the cost.

We’re not surprised - CATC has always been a big fan of SH 130. CATC coordinated support for public hearings and critical votes for all phases of the Central Texas Turnpike Project roads, including SH 130. CATC spearheaded the effort to raise public awareness and education regarding the project by creating and maintaining the sh130.org website (archived here) and the SH 130 information hotline, and promoted bond initiatives to pay for local participation. As a result of these efforts, SH 130 and the other CTTP projects garnered unprecedented funding from local, state, and federal resources for construction and right-of-way. With the aid of innovative financing, SH 130 was on the ground and in use decades before it would have using traditional pay-as-you-go methods. CATC lobbied for the road to be named in honor of J.J. “Jake” Pickle, and HB 2296, designating of a portion of SH 130 as the “Pickle Parkway was signed in by Governor Perry in May 2007. We’re proud to be a part of the success of SH 130 and happy to see it operating just as we knew it would - saving time (and money) for those who use it.