On Thursday, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced it would be investing nearly $150 million into transit across the state.
On July 12, the Texas Transportation Commission awarded more than $68 million in federal and state funds to the state’s transit providers. When added to the grant awards announced in June, the total amount invested will be $146 million – a 65 percent increase compared to funds approved in 2021. The increase is due in part to federal funds made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“This funding is critical to ensuring everyone in Texas, especially in rural areas, has access to where they need to go safely and reliably,” TxDOT Transportation Commissioner Alvin New said. “Many people across the state rely on these services for basic life needs because they have no other option. We’re excited to help fund these agencies as they continue to help the people of Texas.”
The investment will make transit safer and more reliable, the TxDOT said, while ensuring Texans have access to jobs, schools, healthcare and other destinations.
Projects funded with the money include a bus storage and in-house maintenance facility in San Angelo, part of the Concho Valley Transit District; a multimodal transit facility for the Rural Economic Assistance League (REAL), which serves nine counties in the Coastal Bend area of South Texas; a new facility for administration and transportation functions for the Texoma Area Paratransit System, Inc. (TAPS), which serves the Oklahoma border; and, an expansion to services as well as additional fuel vehicles for the Brazos Transit District in Brazos Valley.
Rural and urban transit services supported by state and federal funds cover 90 percent of the state’s land area and serve more than a third of the state’s population.