Texas Gov. Abbott announces 10-year, $85 billion transportation plan
SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott is announcing the unanimous adoption of the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2023 Unified Transportation Program.
The project entails a 10-year roadway construction plan that comes with a price tag of $85 billion.
“The State of Texas is working to ensure the transportation needs of our fast-growing state are met and that the safety of Texans on the roadways is protected,” said Governor Abbott. “TxDOT’s 2023 Unified Transportation Program is a critical step toward addressing the diverse needs of Texans in rural, urban, and metropolitan communities. This 10-year plan to address transportation needs statewide and dedicate $85 billion to improve roadways will be a huge boon to our state’s infrastructure and booming economy. As more people move to Texas and businesses grow across the state, we are working together to make sure Texans’ transportation safety and mobility are secured and businesses can flourish for generations to come.”
The UTP will target transportation safety and will also address congestion, rural connectivity and the preservation of roadways for Texas drivers.
“The UTP reflects a continued focus on improving transportation safety as the top priority, maintaining our current system, addressing traffic congestion, and improving statewide connectivity over the next decade,” said TxDOT Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. “Additionally, we are making significant progress in addressing congestion in our busiest parts of the state through our Texas Clear Lanes initiative, which improves top chokepoints in our largest metro areas.”
The UTP funds will coincide with an additional $32 billion over the life of the program for routine maintenance contracts and project development, such as planning, professional engineering, and right-of-way acquisition for more than 7,000 transportation projects and a total investment of $117 billion statewide.
Many projects targeted by the UTP will fall in areas identified on the state’s 100 Most Congested Roadways list, 8 of which reside in the San Antonio and New Braunfels areas.
The projects will be funded through legislative and voter-approved initiatives that allocate portions of oil and gas taxes, sales taxes, and other money to the state highway fund. These initiatives have increased the UTP over $50 billion over the 10-year period, with $34.3 billion in projects approved in the 2014 UTP in August 2013.
With rural regions of the state supporting the critical energy and agricultural industries, the approved plan includes a historic increase in funding to $14 billion for projects in rural areas.