The Texas Department of Transportation is turning to local residents as it works on its long-range transportation plan, Connecting Texas 2050. Over the next two months, Texans can attend in-person open houses in their communities or access an online meeting room to share their ideas about the future of Texas transportation and provide input on the department’s goals.

According to the project website, Connecting Texas 2050 is aimed at making the state’s transportation system as safe, reliable and resilient as possible. The project is ongoing and will be updated every four years.

TxDOT kicked off the project in 2022. The agency is currently holding public meetings across Texas and will have another round of meetings in the fall. Early next year, TxDOT plans to host a statewide public hearing before the plan is adopted in summer 2024.

“No matter where you work, live or how you get around, this plan impacts everyone in Texas,” TxDOT said in a news release.

During the in-person open houses and online, TxDOT will explain the process of the plan, share information about future population and freight trends, describe the department’s goals, and more. In the virtual meeting, Texans can watch videos, read about TxDOT’s initiatives and post their thoughts on a public wall.


From March 21-May 4, in-person meetings will be held in 13 of TxDOT’s 25 districts. Events will be held in the other 12 districts this fall, likely from September-November, TxDOT reported.

The spring meetings will be held at the following locations, all from 5:30-7 p.m.:
  • Abilene: March 21 at the Hillcrest Church of Christ (multipurpose room);
  • Laredo: March 21 at Texas A&M International University (Western Hemispheric Trade Center, Room 111);
  • Childress: March 23 at the Fair Park Auditorium (banquet room);
  • Pharr: March 23 at James Nikki Rowe High School (cafeteria);
  • Bryan: April 4 at the Legends Event Center (banquet hall);
  • Beaumont: April 11 at the Central Park Community Center;
  • Houston: April 13 at the Houston Texans YMCA (community room);
  • Lufkin: April 13 at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center (Angelina Room);
  • Paris: May 2 at Paris Junior College (McLemore Student Center, ballroom);
  • Wichita Falls: May 2 at the Wichita Falls Multi-Purpose Event Center (Ray Clymer Exhibit Hall, Room 2);
  • Dallas and Fort Worth: May 4 at the North Central Texas Council of Governments (Transportation Council Room); and
  • An in-person meeting date and location for the El Paso district will be announced soon.
The meetings will be conducted in English, with Spanish materials available in-person and online. For special accommodations at an in-person meeting, Texans can call 512-271-2025 at least three business days before the scheduled meeting.

Comments can be submitted at the in-person meetings, online, by email to [email protected] or by mail to TxDOT TPP Connecting Texas 2050, Statewide Planning Branch Manager, P.O. Box 149217, Austin, Texas, 78714-9217. According to the news release, comments must be submitted or postmarked by May 31.

Texans can access the virtual public meeting and find a schedule of in-person events here.