LUFKIN – Continuing to use Proposition 1 funding for the improved safety, mobility and connectivity of our great state, the Texas Transportation Commission today approved 28 more projects encompassing more than $203 million worth of roadway construction, rehabilitation and restoration, which included a Polk County project. Commissioners have now approved final contract awards on 60 of the 200 planned Proposition 1 projects.
“The Commission has again acted in a prudent manner, and our state’s transportation system will benefit because of it,” said TxDOT Executive Director LtGen Joe Weber, USMC (Ret). “The message from community leaders and local planning organizations, as well as the message sent by voters when they approved Proposition 1 last November, is that transportation concerns must be addressed in a manner that is both efficient and effective. The Commission’s action today enables us to do just that.”
Among the specific projects awarded in this round of Proposition 1 funding, Polk County will receive $1.2 million for a construction project on US 287.
“For the past year, the Lufkin District has been collaborating with Polk County to provide safe access to and from the proposed Oriented Strand Board plant west of Corrigan,” Lufkin District Engineer Cheryl Flood said. “With the passage of Proposition 1 in November 2014, the district was able to fund the construction of a left and right turn lane into the plant from US 287, which we hope to have completed by the end of the year.”
Other major projects in the state include the construction of freeway ramps on US 90 in Bexar County; the widening of US 290 in Harris County; and the reconstruction of FM 1472 in Webb County.
Proposition 1, which dedicates a portion of oil and gas tax revenue to the state highway fund, was approved last November by 80 percent of Texas voters. The 200 planned 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 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.
In addition to addressing congestion, Proposition 1 funding also addresses safety. Over the past five years, there were 248 fatalities and more than 23,000 crashes on the highway segments where the Proposition 1 funded projects are located. The work planned in these areas is designed to enhance safety for drivers and reduce the number of crashes, fatalities and injuries.
For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or (936) 633-4395.