Highway 183A northern expansion to open

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) - Construction of the extension of State Highway 183A is complete seven years ahead of schedule, and a grand opening ceremony will be held Friday at 10:30 a.m. The event is open to the public.

The highlight of the event will be a ceremonial banner breaking by a Capital Metro express bus. Congressman John Carter is scheduled to speak at the event.

Other featured speakers include Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long, Leander Mayor John Cowman, Mobility Authority Chairman Ray Wilkerson and Texas Department of Transportation chief planning and projects officer Russell Zapalac.

Toll road Hwy.183A , is an 11.6-mile bypass operated by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority . It runs from Northwest Austin to Cedar Park and Leander.

Officials say since the opening of the road in March 2007, drivers’ usage exceeded original projections. The project cost about $105 million, according to CTRMA.

The new 5-mile northern extension runs from Farm to Market Route 1431 to Ranch to Market Road 2243. It has three lanes in each direction.

Officials say access to the toll road is solely electronic. Drivers can pay with a TxTag, TollTag or EZ TAG. Without a pass, drivers will be mailed an invoice and will have to pay by mail.

Beginning March 19, customers not signed up on AutoPay will be charged a fee to purchase a new or replacement tag. Tag fees will not be applied retroactively to existing TxTag customers, and customers that already have a tag will not be charged a fee unless they purchase a new or replacement tag for an account not supported by AutoPay.

Beginning March 29, 2012, customers who choose to replenish their pre-paid toll amount manually and subsequently have their TxTag account suspended due to insufficient funds to cover the cost of a toll, will be required to pay an account reactivation fee in the amount of $8.50.

The grand opening event will be held at the intersection of Hwy. 183A and Hero Way (Country Road 269).

For more information, call 512-996-9778.