You’ve probably heard the saying, “You couldn’t pay me to live there,” usually referring to some challenge that makes living in a certain location harder than it should be. Unfortunately, for people living in a newer neighborhood in the Houston metro area, they have to pay for the privilege of living there, thanks to an odd design of the development that made a toll road the only way in and out of the neighborhood.
According to reporting from KHOU television in Houston, the Creekland Village neighborhood in Cypress, Texas, has only one way in and out of the development. They must use the Grand Parkway, also known as Texas State Highway 99. Several sections of the Grand Parkway carry a toll, including the section that provides access to Creekland Village.
Residents told KHOU that they’re paying 56 cents each time they use the toll road. While that amount hardly makes the Grand Parkway one of the most expensive toll roads in America, the cost adds up fast each time neighborhood residents go to work or run a simple errand. Whether this situation was a result of poor planning, a lack of communication among authorities, or — as some cynics allege — done on purpose to guarantee a constant source of toll revenue, residents are understandably frustrated.
How the toll problem manifested in the Texas neighborhood
Construction on homes in the Creekland Village neighborhood in Cypress, Texas, began in early 2023, and plans called for 3,000 homes. As residents began purchasing lots and building houses, they say they had no warning from the developer about the toll road problem that would affect them in the future. In fact, residents claim they were not charged tolls while the neighborhood’s homes were being built. After construction was started and completed on toll booths later, though, the toll charges began…