On Monday, the Texas Transportation Commission announced it had adopted it long-range transportation plan.
The plan, “Connecting Texas 2050,” will serve as the planning document to help officials prioritize transportation needs and investments for the coming 25 years, officials said. “Connecting Texas 2050” establishes the vision, goals, objectives, performance measures and strategic recommendations for the state’s transportation system, officials said, and identifies the three key performance goals for the department – safety, preservation and mobility. Additionally, the plan identifies three strategic goals – connectivity, economic vitality and stewardship.
Starting in 2022, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) held numerous public hearings across the state, and listened to thousands of Texans, to develop the state’s transportation priorities. According to the department, people listed safety, alternative modes of travel, public transportation and infrastructure maintenance as their top priorities. “Connecting Texas 2050” incorporates those views, officials said.
“As we look to the years ahead, this plan will help us build upon our transportation system,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said. “With a growing population and new technologies changing how we move, these goals will help us plan for decades to come and connect future generations of Texans.”
Officials said the plan would address the challenges facing the state – increasing roadway fatalities and severe injuries; changing demographics and generational shifts adding to challenges providing safe, affordable and reliable methods of transportation; increasing need to preserve and maintain existing transportation systems in the face of increased asset inventories, increased traffic volumes and increased extreme weather events; a decreasing connectivity between cities and regions; a growing need to support resilient supply chains; and increasing uncertainties regarding new transportation technologies.