HOUSTON -- Drivers on Harris County toll roads will once again have to pay tolls beginning Saturday, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and county Toll Road Authority officials decided that traffic conditions warrant the resumption of toll collections on the Harris County Toll Road system.

Tolls were waived on Sept. 10 to help southeast Texas residents evacuate prior to the landfall of Hurricane Ike.

In the aftermath of the storm and with the declaration of the Houston-Galveston region as a disaster area, tolls continued to be waived.

"The toll road's capacity was needed to help with traffic management efforts," Toll Road Director Gary Stobb said.

Officials said now that power has been restored to more than 75 percent of CenterPoint Energy customers, and more traffic signals are coming online each hour, county officials agreed to resume normal operations on the Harris County Toll Road system.

Signage will be placed throughout the system, at toll plazas and in EZ TAG stores notifying the public that the toll waiver will be lifted as of Saturday.

Check Traffic Now:

• Houston TranStar Real-Time Traffic Map


• Traffic Pulse Real-Time Traffic Map


• Traffic Section


• Houston Transtar


• Texas Dept. of Transportation Web site or call 800-452-9292


• Harris County Office of Emergency Management Web site

Check Construction Information:

Map: Freeway Construction Projects
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