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Transportation Commission Approves $70B Plan

 

 

TxDOT

The Texas Transportation Commission today approved the 2017
Unified Transportation Program (UTP) with $70 billion worth of projects to
help TxDOT meet the state’s growing transportation demands. The plan is the
largest of its kind in the agency’s history that addresses capacity,
maintenance and safety needs around state.

The 10-year plan, developed with extensive public input, targets congestion
in the state’s most-populated areas and includes projects to better connect
the major interstates in rural areas with local roads and highways. Also
outside urban areas, the program calls for enhancing and completing
interstate highways, and addressing the continuing needs within the energy
sector and along hurricane evacuation routes.

“The actions today by the Texas Transportation Commission represent a
historic investment in our state’s infrastructure,” said Governor Abbott.
“Texans have sent a loud and clear message that they are tired of sitting
in traffic, and this funding plan will significantly address safety,
maintenance, connectivity and congestion on our crowded highways. The plan
presented by the commission will allow Texas roads to keep pace with our
population growth, provide much-needed congestion relief for working
Texans and put the Lone Star State well on its way towards having a
first-in-class highway system for decades to come.”

“The Unified Transportation Program reflects TxDOT’s commitment to planning
for and meeting the mobility needs of our fast-growing state,” said
Transportation Commission Chairman Tryon Lewis.

With more than $70 billion in total funding, the 2017 UTP represents a
significant increase from last year’s 10-year plan, which included more
than $33 billion worth of projects. The bulk of the additional funding will
come from legislative- and voter-approved initiatives to allocate portions
of oil and gas taxes, sales taxes and other taxes to the state highway
fund. Ending the practice of appropriating state highway funds to agencies
other than TxDOT and the passage of long-term federal transportation
legislation also contributed to the additional funding.

The new funding in the 2017 UTP is largely allocated into program areas
that address safety, maintenance, congestion and rural connectivity needs.
It includes funding for all 25 TxDOT districts and 25 metropolitan planning
areas throughout the state.