TRAFFIC JUMPED 17% ON SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF SH 130 IN 2022 TO REACH ALL-TIME HIGH

Population growth and development fuel 47% increase in toll transactions since 2019

AUSTIN, Texas – (Feb. 22, 2023) – Passenger and heavy truck traffic along the southern section of State Highway 130 between Austin and San Antonio increased 17% year-over-year to reach an all-time high in 2022.

SH 130 Concession Co., the private company that operates and maintains the 41-mile section of the state-owned highway, recorded more than 11.42 million transactions on SH 130 between Austin and San Antonio last year.

Despite the increase in traffic, the number of crashes decreased to only 30 crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) – the best safety report on SH 130 since 2018 and lower than the statewide averages for similar roadways.

“This region has become a hub of manufacturing investment and economic development, with SH 130 serving as a critical transportation artery,” said SH 130 Concession Co. President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Billows. “Yet despite the continued, rapid growth, SH 130 remains congestion-free and one of the safest highways in Texas.”

Heavy truck traffic increased significantly during this period, surging 68% during the last four years, including a 26% gain in 2022 alone.

The increase in heavy traffic is partially due to a sharp uptick in industrial and manufacturing development all along the SH 130 corridor since 2020, including mega projects such as the $1 billion Tesla Gigafactory that opened last year, and the $17 billion Samsung semiconductor plant now under construction in the Austin suburb of Taylor just east of SH 130.

Tesla, which already employs 10,000 workers at its Gigafactory, recently filed plans with the State of Texas to invest more than $700 million to expand its operations in the area.

While mega industrial projects have so far developed along the northern sections of the toll road that are operated and maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation, development has also increased directly along the more rural, privately operated southern section of SH 130. This includes the communities of Lockhart and Seguin, which have recently attracted millions of dollars in investment for new or expanding manufacturing facilities and distribution centers, in addition to significantly more residential development.

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