SPI Insights

A $77 billion state transportation plan was approved by the Texas Transportation Commission on August 29. The Unified Transportation Plan (UTP) will improve safety, address congestion and connectivity, and preserve roadways throughout the state over the next 10 years.

Commission Chairman Bruce Bugg Jr. said the plan will target the state’s most critical congestion improvement needs with $28 billion in funding allocated to Texas’ five major metropolitan areas. The commission oversees the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which will select projects from the UTP in collaboration with local transportation leaders. The commission will provide the ultimate approval for an initiative to advance.

The UTP authorizes highway projects for planning activities, development and construction. In addition to highway projects, the plan addresses public transportation, maritime, aviation, and rail.

More than $4 billion will be set aside for safety improvements. To reduce crashes and eliminate fatalities from Texas highways by 2050, an additional $600 million will go to widen roads, improve medians and bridges, upgrade guardrails, provide intersection improvements, and make safety enhancements for bicyclists and pedestrians over the next two years.
The Permian Basin will receive more than $600 million for transportation improvements, including projects on safety, connectivity, congestion relief, and mobility improvements at high-volume intersections.

Legislative and voter-approved initiatives will provide funding from oil and gas taxes, sales taxes, and other sources to the state highway fund.