True to its unofficial motto, "Dont Mess With Texas," the Lone Star State willingly bucks convention. An ambitious highway plan, as maverick as the state itself, is proving this true. In a time when states struggle with budget deficits, the 65-mile, $3.6-billion Central Texas Turnpike Project could be a creative solution and a harbinger of future roads.
The private-public design-build program, which consists of State Highways 130 and 45 North and Loop 1, represents a comprehensive development agreement enabled by state legislation approved in 2001 (House Bill 3588). The experimental process allows the state to enter into contracts with one entity to oversee everything from construction and design to operation and maintenance.