# Fast Toll Lane Buses For Austin



## WhoozOn1st (Nov 29, 2013)

:hi: Happy  bus :angry2: :help: riding :blink: , jimhudson! :excl:

If Buses on MoPac Go Faster, More People Will Ride (Maybe) -- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/29/us/if-buses-on-mopac-go-faster-more-people-will-ride-maybe.html?ref=todayspaper

"In 2015, an 11-mile stretch of MoPac Boulevard in Austin will expand to eight lanes from six. The two new lanes will require tolls, and drivers will be able to pay a premium to avoid frequent congestion.

"While the toll lanes will help ease traffic on the free lanes, neither the Texas Department of Transportation nor any of the local entities involved in the $200 million project are predicting it will transform MoPac, known more formally as Texas State Highway Loop 1, into a free-flowing thoroughfare. ...local officials are optimistic that frustrated commuters will notice that it is not only personal vehicles zipping past them on the toll lanes.

"The Capital Metro vehicles will be able to use the toll lanes free of charge.

"Capital Metro planners are studying ways to adjust bus routes to take better advantage of the toll lanes and draw new riders."

Isn't "MoPac" shorthand/slang for the fallen flag railroad Missouri Pacific?


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## Devil's Advocate (Nov 30, 2013)

WhoozOn1st said:


> Isn't "MoPac" shorthand/slang for the fallen flag railroad Missouri Pacific?


Yes.

The MoPac route along TX-1 is a bunch of slow turns every which way, over and over again. Which the freeway (and soon the tollway) dutifully copied. I've looked at those rails while sitting in congestion for years and have not been able to figure out why anyone would build a route that slow and convoluted. Maybe a topographical map would make it easier to understand, but so far it's beyond my ability to comprehend.


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