CENTRAL TEXAS (FOX 44) – Governor Greg Abbott has announced a record $142 billion in total investment for Texas’ transportation infrastructure.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), this record investment includes the unanimous adoption of the $100 billion ten-year statewide roadway construction plan with the TxDOT for transportation projects to enhance safety, improve congestion and connectivity and preserve Texas roadways. This is a $25 billion increase in total investment from the previous year.

The 2024 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) allocates $2 billion to the Waco District over the next ten years, including $236 million in new authorization funding in the Waco District, which includes money for the following projects:

• $101.5 million for Interstate 35 widening in Bell County that will become part of the future Interstate 14 east expansion
• $8.9 million for the Highway 281 expansion project in Coryell County, increasing the current two-lane roadway to four lanes divided
• $25 million for the final third segment of the ¾ Highway 281 relief route for the City of Hamilton
• $40.9 million for Highway 84 expansion and reconstruction to include new ramps, main lanes, frontage roads, interchanges and direct connectors
• $60 million to replace the existing Highway 6 “twin bridges” over Lake Waco

Governor Abbott announced TxDOT’s proposed 2024 UTP in February, which is estimated to be $15 billion more than the 2023 UTP. With the State of Texas providing a majority of the funding, the 2024 UTP includes a total investment of over $142 billion for all development and delivery projects, right-of-way acquisition, engineering, routine maintenance contracts and UTP construction funding.

TxDOT says the over $10 billion of average annual investment programmed in the UTP over the next ten years is expected to bring an estimated $18.8 billion per year in economic benefits, per the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s analysis. These benefits are a result of increased labor income and business output, as well as the addition of 70,500 direct and indirect jobs.

TxDOT says the UTP is a planning document that guides the development of transportation projects across the state. Additionally, the UTP identifies public transportation, maritime, aviation, and rail investments. Projects are selected by TxDOT and local transportation leaders based on effectiveness in addressing criteria such as safety, pavement condition, capacity, and rural connectivity, with opportunities for public input at the both the state and local levels.

For more information on the UTP projects, you can go here.