The overview
The Texas Department of Transportation’s 10-year plan, known as the Unified Transportation Program, is updated annually and includes funding for initiatives across the state.
The Texas Transportation Commission unanimously approved the $100 billion UTP for 2024 during its Aug. 16 meeting. The other $42 billion, which will fund development and routine maintenance, comes from the Texas State Highway Fund, the Texas Mobility Fund, tax revenue and federal sources, according to TxDOT Media Relations Director Adam Hammons.
“This plan will help the lives of all Texans for years to come as we work to move people and goods safely and efficiently in our rural, urban and metropolitan areas,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said in a news release. “TxDOT is already putting these resources to work with a record number of projects aimed at improving safety and saving lives on our roadways.”
The 2024 UTP was unveiled in February, followed by a public comment period from July-August.
By the numbers
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute reported that over the next 10 years, the 2024 UTP will:
- Create 70,500 new jobs.
- Inject $18.8 billion into the state economy each year.
Local projects
The 2024 UTP includes roughly 7,000 planned transportation projects, TxDOT reported. However, officials said not all proposed projects are guaranteed to be built.
Below are some of the anticipated projects for Texas’ largest metropolitan areas.
Austin
- I-35 Capital Express Central project: $4.5 billion to add two nontolled lanes in each direction from US 290 East to SH 71/Ben White Boulevard
- US 281: $383.6 million to improve mobility and enhance safety from US 290 to the Comal County line
- RM 620 South: $164.5 million to widen the route to a six-lane divided roadway
- North Houston Highway Improvement Plan: $4.42 billion to improve I-45 from Beltway 8 to I-10 West and reroute I-45 through the downtown Houston area
- I-10 West Inner Katy project: about $1.14 billion to add four nontolled lanes between downtown Houston and the IH 610 Loop
- I-10 West: $730.6 million to add two managed lanes, two general-purpose lanes and extended frontage roads from FM 359 to Mason Road
- I-30: $1.05 billion for the I-30 East Corridor from I-45 to Ferguson Road
- Denton County Connections: $84 million for I-35 from the Denton County line to north of FM 3002
- US 377: $90 million for road rehabilitation in Granbury from Overstreet Boulevard to Pirate Drive
- I-35 Northeast expansion: $388 million for I-35 from the Guadalupe/Comal County line to FM 1103
- US 90: $127 million to upgrade US 90 to a freeway at US 281/San Pedro
- FM 3351: $11.9 million to replace a bridge on FM 3351 at Cibolo Creek
“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,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in the release. “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.”
