The Texas Department of Transportation has adopted its 2023 Unified Transportation Program, advancing a record $85 billion, 10-year statewide roadway construction plan.
“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 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 in the plan are roadway segments identified on Texas’ 100 Most Congested Roadways list and critical connectivity corridors.
The plan also allocates nearly $7.4 billion for projects in the Austin District, including:
•I-35 Capital Express Central project – $4.5 billion
•US 281 Blanco County project – $87.1 million
•Loop 360 at Courtyard Drive/RM 2222 project – $58.6 million
•SH 71 from Riverside Drive to US 183 – $31.2 million
The $8.5 billion of average annual investment programmed in the UTP over the next 10 years is expected to yield an estimated $15.5 billion per year in economic benefits, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
Additionally on Tuesday, the commission also approved a $606 million contract for the I-35 Capital Express North project. The project will add one high-occupancy vehicle managed lane in each direction of I-35 between SH 45 North and US 290 East. The project will reconstruct bridges, add a diverging diamond interchange at Wells Branch Parkway, improve bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and make additional safety and mobility improvements.
