Texas State Highway 130 (SH 130), also known as the Pickle Parkway, is a highway from [1] SH 130 runs in a 131-mile (211 km) corridor east and south of Austin. The route parallels I-35 and is intended to relieve the Interstate's traffic volume through the San Antonio-Austin corridor by serving as an alternate route.
The highway was developed in response to the tremendous surge in truck traffic on the I-35 corridor brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement during the late 1990s, especially truck traffic originating from Laredo, where the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reported 150 trucks entering the United States every hour. A proponent of the highway's development, Capital Area Transportation Coalition, said that congestion along the I-35 corridor is costing businesses more than $194 million a year in higher operating costs and lost productivity.
The highway is noted for having the entire route with a speed limit of at least 80 mph (130 km/h). The 41-mile section of the toll road between Mustang Ridge and Seguin has a posted speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h), the highest posted speed limit in the United States.
Route description
SH 130 begins co-signed with Georgetown.
History
Previous route
SH 130 was originally designated in far west Texas, between the city of El Paso and SH 54 in El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson counties. That route was constructed in 1928.[2] In 1932, the route was co-designated as a portion of US 62.[3] The SH 130 designation was dropped with the general re-description of the state highway system in 1939. Since 1943, the previous route has also been designated as a portion of US 180 along with US 62.[4]
Current route
SH 130 northbound near Kingsbury, July 2013
SH 130 northbound in Pflugerville, May 2008
In June 2002, [5] The cost of this section was expected to be $1.5 billion, which included the costs of utility relocation, design, construction, and right of way. Right-of-way costs alone were estimated at $389 million.
Groundbreaking for SH 130 took place on October 3, 2003. The first segment of SH 130 to open to the public was from US 290 northbound to US 79 on November 1, 2006. On December 13, the highway was extended northward to a junction with I-35. On September 6, 2007, the route was extended southward from US 290 to SH 71. Segment 4 opened on April 30, 2008, running 8.7-mile (14.0 km) from SH 71 to US 183.[6]
On June 28, 2006, a partnership between Cintra and Zachry American Infrastructure, developers of the Trans-Texas Corridor, reached a $1.3 billion agreement with the state to build segments 5 and 6 from US 183 southeast of Austin to I-10 in Seguin. Cintra-Zachry formed SH 130 Concession Company to manage the project. In exchange for the investment, the company received the right to collect tolls for 50 years in a revenue-sharing agreement with the state. The state owns the road while the company is responsible for financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance over the life of the agreement.[7] Although substantially a private sector project, some costs for segments 5 and 6 were borne by TxDOT, including about 400 highway signs promoting SH 130 as an alternate route and a subsidized toll rate for truckers to use the highway instead of I-35.[8] In 2013, Moody's downgraded the company's debt to junk status due to low traffic revenues. If the difficulties persist, TxDOT could terminate its toll contract with the group.[8] The company explored debt restructing around December 2013,[9] and was in danger of a payment default in June 2014.[10]
The 2007 session of the Texas Legislature passed HB 2296, designating SH 130 in Williamson, Travis, Caldwell, and Guadalupe counties as the "Pickle Parkway" in honor of former United States Congressman J.J. "Jake" Pickle.[11] Construction began in early 2009 on the final sections of SH 130, from Lockhart through Caldwell and Guadalupe counties to Interstate 10, which opened on October 24, 2012.[12] On the first evening the roadway was open, three cars crashed into packs of wild hogs.[13] US 183 runs parallel to SH 130 from southeast of Austin to Lockhart.
TxDOT announced in September 2011 that the SH 130 designation had been extended westward, along I-10 to I-410, then southward and westward along I-410 to I-35 in southern San Antonio.[14]
Exit list
References
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^ a b c Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "State Highway No. 130". Highway Designation Files.
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^ Texas State Highway Department. Official Map of the Highway System of Texas (Map) (1928 ed.). Section M6-7. http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php?mapnum=7990. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
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^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "U.S. Highway No. 62". Highway Designation Files.
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^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division. "U.S. Highway No. 180". Highway Designation Files.
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^ Adapting To A Mega Project Associated Construction Publications June 18, 2007
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^ Harris, Tom. "Final leg of SH 130 opens". Texas Cable News.
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^ State reaches $1.3 billion deal to finish toll road Associated Press June 28, 2006.
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^ a b Aman Batheja (October 23, 2013). "Debt Issues Tied to SH 130 Could Impact Toll Projects". Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
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^ Nathan Koppel and Emily Glazer (January 2, 2014). "Fast Texas Toll Road Struggles to Pick Up Drivers". Retrieved July 7, 2014.
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^ "Issuer Comment: SH 130 Payment default looms as senior lenders evaluate waiving a part of the June 30th debt service and swap payments to allow time to restructure debt". Moody's. June 18, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
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^ TLO - 80(R) History for HB 2296
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^ Sadeghi, Chris (September 6, 2012). "Part of SH 130 to get 85 mph limit". Austin, TX:
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^ DeLong, Katie (Oct 28, 2012). "Wild hogs cause three crashes on first night fastest highway is open". Fox News.
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^ Texas Transportation Commission, Minute Order 112863 (September 29, 2011).
External links
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Central Texas Turnpike - official page
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State Highway 130 Concession Company, LLC, developers of SH 130 segments 5 and 6.
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Anti-130 page (BicycleAustin.info)
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