Unified Transportation Program
On Aug. 30, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the adoption of an $85 billion 10-year statewide road construction plan known as the Unified Transportation Program. The UTP is the master document for the Texas Department of Transportation.
According to Abbott’s office, the UTP funds will coincide with an additional $32 billion over 10 years for routine maintenance and project development, including more than 7,000 projects and a total investment of $117 billion statewide.
A few of the projects earmarked are in or around Pearland and Friendswood. Each will go to bid between 2023 and 2026.
One will widen FM 518 between Hwy. 288 and FM 865, or Cullen Parkway, at $39.65 million.
Another includes upgrades to Hwy. 35 between North Gordon Street and Steele Road at a cost of $37.4 million.
A final project includes installing traffic management technology along Hwy. 288 between Hwy. 6 and FM 1426 at a cost of $7.87 million.
In addition to highway projects, the UTP outlines investments in public transportation, maritime, aviation, rail and freight.
In a news release, Abbott said the UTP will help with population and economic growth in Texas.
“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,” Abbott said.
The projects that will be part of the UTP will be funded through legislative and voter-approved initiatives that allocate portions of oil and gas taxes, sales taxes, and other money to the state highway fund.The Texas Transportation Commission, the governing board for TxDOT, is required to approve a new 10-year plan each year.
Texas Transportation Commission Chair J. Bruce Bugg Jr. said the UTP remains one of the top priorities of TxDOT.
FM 521 expansion
The Texas Department of Transportation is expanding FM 521, also known as Almeda Road, from FM 2234, or McHard Road, to Hwy. 6 in Fort Bend County. FM 521 will be expanded from a two-lane undivided roadway to a four-lane divided roadway with a median and turn lanes. The project is expected to bid for construction contracts in April, TxDOT Public Information Officer Danny Perez said. The project is anticipated to last three years, he said.
Timeline: fall 2023-26
Cost: $82.2 million
Funding source: Texas Department of Transportation
