LUFKIN – The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday awarded 23 projects from Proposition 1 funding that will improve safety, mobility and connectivity for Texas.
Houston County, a part of the nine-county Lufkin TxDOT District, received $11.7 million for a construction project on SH 21 from FM1280 along a 2.32 stretch east of FM 2967, that will be used to reconstruct and add passing lanes. A.L. Helmcamp, Inc. will serve as contractor for the project.
The Commission approved 23 of the 200 projects planned totaling nearly $168 million in roadway construction, rehabilitation and restoration in the latest round of funding Thursday.
“The Texas transportation system will see needed improvement as a result of the projects approved today,” said TxDOT Executive Director LtGen Joe Weber, USMC (Ret). “By working with community leaders and local planning organizations, we have selected these projects that will help address the transportation concerns of our citizens. Texans made a strong statement in voting for Proposition 1 last November, and it is now our responsibility to ensure these funds are put to use in the most efficient and effective manner.”
In total, the 200 Proposition 1 projects will result in more than 800 miles of rehabilitated highways; nearly 500 miles of new highway lanes; 114 bridges replaced, widened or rehabilitated; and an additional 159 miles of passing lanes on rural highways. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and TxDOT Districts worked together and with the public to formulate the list of projects.
Many TxDOT districts plan to use maintenance funds to repair or rehabilitate highways affected by production in energy sectors. These funds, along with Proposition 1 funds specifically allocated for energy sector needs, will allow projects in impacted areas to receive nearly 30 percent of total 2015 Proposition 1 funding.
