In its 2021 progress report, the Texas DOT (TxDOT) outlines the continued momentum the agency has maintained despite a global pandemic and the historic challenges associated with such an unprecedented time.
Statewide, TxDOT currently has more than $24 billion worth of projects under construction—the largest in the state’s history. This past fiscal year alone, the agency approved more than $7 billion in construction and maintenance contracts and its payments to contractors increased 26% year over year from FY 2019 to 2020. The agency says while all these projects are aimed at improving mobility, they are also designed to keep drivers safe.
“This is a historic time for our state's transportation system during the COVID-19 pandemic because it's how vital goods and services are delivered,” Texas Transportation Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg Jr. said in a statement. “This wouldn't be possible without the 12,000 women and men at TxDOT who are dedicated to 'Connecting You With Texas' in rural, urban and metro areas of our great state. Together, we are committed to executing every day—because that's what the Texas taxpayers who voted overwhelmingly to fund new roads in Texas expect and deserve.”
A major focus for the agency has been reducing congestion and improving mobility in the state’s most congested areas through the Commission’s congestion relief initiative, Texas Clear Lanes. This effort, aimed at providing congestion relief through non-tolled projects, is focused on tackling the biggest traffic chokepoints in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio—TxDOT’s five metro districts. So far, TxDOT has completed six major Texas Clear Lanes projects; have 19 other projects under construction; and 18 more in the planning stages.
Additionally, the Commission allocated an extra $600 million toward safety improvements, adding to the safety components and dollars already committed to every project.
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SOURCE: Texas DOT
