HOV lanes coming to San Antonio following approval from state officials

​​​SAN ANTONIO - Plans to expand two major San Antonio highways without tolls received the official stamp of approval.

Parts of US 281 and I-10, originally slated for tolls, will now be expanded with high-occupancy vehicle lanes instead.

HOV lanes are reserved for transit vehicles and cars with more than one occupant, usually two or three. They’ll be built in place of the toll lanes once planned for I-10 between La Cantera Pkwy. and Ralph Fair Rd. and US 281 between Loop 1604 and the Comal County line.

The change in plans illustrates a statewide shift in perspective on toll lanes following two legislative sessions that focused heavily on finding more funding for highways. State lawmakers capped the Texas Mobility Fund, the state’s last source of highway bonds, and voted to stop using some gas tax and vehicle registration fee revenue for projects other than road building.

They also created Propositions 1 and 7, two ballot measures that voters overwhelmingly approved in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Both established new funding streams for non-toll highway projects.​