Project Profile: César Chávez Express Toll Lanes (Removal), El Paso, Texas

César Chávez Express Toll Lanes (Removal), Texas

El Paso, TX

Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA)

Transportation Corporations

Toll Highway / Express Lanes

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) have developed the Loop 375, César Chávez-Border Highway Managed Lanes Project, including tolled managed lanes on Loop 375 from US 54 to Zaragoza Road in El Paso County (César Chávez Express Toll Lanes), under the jurisdictional limits of the CRRMA. The project included rehabilitation of the four existing lanes of Loop 375 from US 54 to Zaragoza Road, as well as construction of two new tolled managed lanes along a 9-mile corridor. After rehabilitation, the two existing lanes in each direction remained non-tolled. The new managed lanes increased the capacity of the existing facility to 6 lanes.

This express lane project near the border with Mexico, let out by TxDOT in FY 2011, was completed and opened to traffic in January 2014, due to a push by state transportation officials to provide motorists a way to bypass heavy traffic on Interstate 10. The CRRMA partnered with North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) for toll collection via a payday lender to help collect cash for tags. The express lanes followed a fixed time-of-day schedule for congestion pricing, allowing no free or discounted access for high occupancy vehicles (HOVs). Starting in October 2015, the CRRMA implemented a Toll Waiver Program on the César Chávez Express Toll Lanes for disabled veterans and recipients of the Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, or Legion of Valor. In August 2017, the commission voted unanimously to make the highway a non-toll road beginning Sept. 1.

The tolls were suspended, with a plan that any debt created through the operations and maintenance of the César Chávez Express toll lanes would be shifted over to the Border West Expressway project. TxDOT takes over operations and maintenance.

$626 million, $85 million to construct

• Total loan obligation of $16,073,594 by Texas Transportation Commission, including the following:
• Market Valuation Loan (interest free) in the amount of $330,000, under the 2007 financial assistance agreement (FAA) — to cover the costs of independent financial and engineering (and other) advisors
• Regional Toll Plan Loan (interest free) in the amount of $343,594, under the 2009 FAA — to pay the costs of project management, data collection and evaluation, and preparation of a regional toll plan
• Chávez O&M Loan in the amount of $9,400,000, approved in March 2013
• Chávez O&M Interest Fee in the amount of $6,000,000, approved in March 2013
• Repayment begins when project revenues cover the operations and maintenance expenses, and the annual repayment amount required is to be at least 10 percent of net revenues.

Design-build-operate-maintain

N/A

Public Sponsor: TxDOT

Operator: Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority

TxDOT and City of El Paso

January 2014 through August 2017

• Per the initial agreements,
• CRRMA receives all toll revenues, and is responsible for operation and maintenance expenses;
• CRRMA has a loan from TxDOT for O&M expenses during the period that revenues do not cover expenses; and
• Once revenues cover expenses, excess revenues may only be used by CRRMA for other area transportation projects.
• Post toll removals (after August 2017),
• CRRMA cannot retain any debt incurred by the operation and maintenance of the Express Toll Lanes, and upon removal of tolls, TxDOT will become responsible for operation and maintenance of César Chávez in perpetuity.
• The repayment requirement of the $16,073,594 amount identified in the Chávez O&M Loan is reduced because:
• Not all Market Valuation Loan proceeds were used by the CRRMA ($109,741 will be returned to TxDOT);
• Not all Chávez O&M Loan proceeds received were used by the CRRMA ($653,751 (estimated) will be returned to TxDOT);
• Not all Chávez O&M Loan proceeds were disbursed ($5,785,579) will remain with TxDOT); and
• Chávez O&M Loan Interest Fee will not be applied.
• Estimated Debt Shifting to Border West Expressway - $3,524,523

• Congestion relief during rush hour and improved reliability

• Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority
• Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority Press Release
• TxDOT Assessment Report
• TxDOT Toll Elimination Report
• TxDOT Meeting Minutes
• KVIA Toll Tags
• KVIA Toll Opening
• Texas A&M

Raymond Telles
Executive Director of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority
(915) 212-1072
TellesRL@crrma.org