Toll Trap
How Texas’ explosive growth led to a toll-building spree
Overview
TIME FRAME
08.2023 - 05.2024(launch)
COMPANY
The Dallas Morning News
TOOL
Python, API, HTML/CSS/Javascript, Leaflet.js, Figma, QGIS
MY ROLE
Research, Data Analysis, Visualization
Why is it importat
Texas has so many toll roads that it has earned the distinction of building more miles than nearly all other states combined.
Each year, thousands of drivers are hauled into court for unpaid fees. Some have their car registrations yanked and others are sent to jail even when they have proof the fees they were charged are incorrect. These practices make Texas one of the country’s harshest and most unforgiving states for unpaid toll fines.
The Dallas Morning News launched a yearlong investigation into toll roads to better understand how they expanded across our state and how they affect everyday Texans.
How do we tell the story
After months of investigation into Texas' tollway system, we reviewed thousands of pages of legislative reports, transportation studies, and financial statements for the state's three largest toll agencies dating back to 1998. Our research included filing open records requests and analyzing gigabytes of roadway and toll data alongside demographic information. We interviewed numerous urban planning specialists, tollway advocacy groups, public policy researchers, and mobility engineers.
Here are the findings.
TEXAS LEADS
WHO BEARS THE BURDEN
Nearly 40% of citations were given to African-American drivers, even though Black people make up only 13% of Texas licensed drivers.
TOLL CALCULATOR
An interactive map that calculates and breaks down toll fees based on user inputs.