Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday the state would invest a record $142 billion in transportation infrastructure for the state.
The investment includes the adoption of a $100 billion 10-year-statewide road recovery plan with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for projects that enhance safety, improve congestion and connectivity and preserve the state’s roadways. The new plan represents a $25 billion increase in total investment over last year.
“Thanks to our booming economy, Texas has achieved a major milestone in our transportation infrastructure with this record $142 billion investment that will strengthen our roadways and build a next-generation transportation network,” Abbott said. “Through this record transportation investment project, the State of Texas will further improve roadway congestion and safety to meet the growing needs of Texans in our large metros, rural communities, and everywhere in between. This plan will not only connect Texans from every corner of our state, it will also bolster our economic growth and ensure Texans and businesses continue to thrive for generations to come.”
Earlier this year, Abbott announced TxDOT’s 2024 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) would be $15 billion more than 2023’s UTP. With much of the funding coming from the state of Texas, the 2024 UTP includes a total investment of more than $142 billion for all development and delivery projects, right of way acquisition, engineering, maintenance contracts and UTP construction funding. Officials said the annual investment programmed into the UTP over the next decade is expected to bring in an estimated $18.8 billion per year in economic benefits, including an additional 70,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Officials said some of the projects in the plan are roadway segments identified as some of the most congested roadways in the state. Texas Clear Lanes congestion-relief projects will see more funding, officials said. Funding for rural projects also increased, TxDOT said, from $2.2 billion in 2016’s UTP, to more than $19 billion in 2024.
“This historic investment in our transportation system is critically important to help meet the needs of our fast-growing state,” said Texas Transportation Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor Abbott and our Texas Legislature, Texas continues to see growth in the transportation investments needed to support a world-class transportation system focused on safety and congestion relief.”