Record $148B transportation investment announced for Texas roadway projects

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Public Safety earlier this week announced a record $148 billion investment for improving Texas' transportation infrastructure.

The investment includes more than $104 billion as part of a 10-year transportation plan by the Texas Department of Transportation aimed at improving safety, addressing congestion and connectivity as well as preserving roadways for Texas drivers. There's also over $43 billion included for development and routine maintenance.

According to TxDOT, this is a $5.6 billion increase in total investment from the previous year.

TxDOT’s Unified Transportation Program (UTP) -- an intermediate programming and development “roadmap” that is used to define, prioritize and assign available funding to thousands of Texas transportation projects over a continuous 10-year period -- lists several projects that are identified on Texas' 100 Most Congested Roadways list that the funding will be used for.

According to TxDOT, Texas Clear Lanes congestion-relief projects will see an increase in funding of $1.9 billion, supporting the $75.8 billion total investment for completed, under-construction and planned non-tolled projects since 2015.

The investment also includes around a $17.3 billion investment in safety and an additional $1.7 billion in funding for rural corridors and key roadways in economic hubs.

Below are some of the top projects in the Austin area included in the UTP:

I-35 Capital Express Central: Located in the heart of the Austin metropolitan area, this $4.5 billion historic project is the first major reconstruction of I-35 since 1974. The project will remove the upper decks and add two non-tolled high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) managed lanes in each direction from U.S. Hwy. 290 East to State Highway 71/Ben White Boulevard. The project will also reconstruct east-west cross-street bridges and add shared-use paths. The first of six segments underway.

FM 812 from US 183 to SH 21: TxDOT is developing plans to convert FM 812 to a four-lane divided roadway. Estimated cost: $160 million.

US 290 from Roger Hanks Parkway to Rob Shelton Boulevard: The project would upgrade U.S. Hwy. 290 from a four-lane divided highway to a six-lane divided highway that includes pedestrian and bicycle accommodations. Estimated cost: $20.7 million.

FM 2770 Caldwell and Hays counties: The proposed project would widen the roadway from SH 142 to SH 21. Estimated cost: $46.7 million.

FM 973 from US 290 to FM 1660: The proposed project would widen the existing two-lane roadway to a six-lane divided highway. Estimated cost: $395.3 million.

FM 973 from FM 1660 to US 79: The proposed project would continue expansion of FM 973 to a four-lane divided highway from FM 1660 to U.S. Hwy. 79 in Taylor. Estimated cost: $170.2 million. 

SH 71 Bastrop County: Construct overpasses on SH 71 at the Tucker Hill Lane, Pope Bend Road and FM 1209 intersections, allowing traffic on SH 71 to flow through the corridor without stopping. Estimated cost: $232 million.

TxDOT said the adoption of the 2025 UTP came after an extensive public involvement process to allow Texans to voice their opinions on the projects in their communities. Public comments — collected via a public hearing and online, phone, email and other formats — were considered before the Texas Transportation Commission approved the UTP, according to TxDOT.