Drivers traveling in and out of Houston.The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has released a $1.3 billion plan for accelerated transportation project completion aimed at improving traffic congestion across the state. The Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) will need to approve the strategy.
“The major metro areas of Texas – Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio – represent more than two-thirds of the state’s population and 97 percent of the state’s most congested roads,” says TTC Commissioner J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. “These areas see some of the worst congestion in the nation. We’ve just completed a listening tour in these major areas and have gathered valuable local input from transportation leaders regarding their priorities and where we can quickly address some needs. This is the initial phase of a new statewide plan to address congestion.”
The plan consists of the following 14 projects across seven counties adding up to 42 miles. Among other improvements, the projects include interchanges and flyovers, with funding coming from what had been diversions of highway funding by other agencies, TxDOT says.
The projects include:
Travis County
- IH 35 at 51st Street: $11.4 million
- IH 35 at Oltorf Street: $54.5 million
- IH 35, Rundberg to U.S. 290: $82.7 million
- Traffic management system upgrades: $10 million
Dallas County
- IH 35E, IH 30 to north of Oak Lawn Avenue: $100 million
- IH 35E/U.S. 67, Colorado Boulevard to U.S. 67, U.S. 67 from the IH 35E split to IH 20: $264 million
Tarrant County
- SH 999, north of Hangar Cutoff Road to south of Nine Mile Bridge Road: $56.5 million
- SH 121, SH 114 to Hall Johnson Road, $61 million
- IH 820, Randall Mill Road to SH 121: $46.3 million
Harris/Galveston County
- IH 45, NASA to FM 518: $106.4 million
Harris County
- IH 610 at IH 69: $131.8 million
Waller County
- IH 10, FM 359 to Brazos River: $209.2 million
Bexar County
- IH 410, north of U.S. 90 to south of SH 151: $90.1 million
- U.S. 281, north of Stone Oak to Bexar/Comal County line: $81.3 million
Also on TTC’s radar is an additional $800 million for connectivity and safety, maintenance, energy sector repairs and border infrastructure funding. These additional projects, as well as the congestion plan, will be reviewed by the TTC as part of the state’s quarterly Unified Transportation Plan at its next meeting in February.
