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March 29 2020
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Vol. V • No. 7
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Clear Lanes Progressing in State’s Most Populous Areas By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
The second-most populous state in the country continues to grow by an average of 1,100 per day, with state demographers predicting that the populations in five metropolitan areas (Austin, Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth and San Antonio) may double by 2050. These areas represent more than twothirds of the state’s total population and are the only metro areas in Texas with populations over 1 million. Approximately 97 percent of the state’s most congested roads are found in these areas. Because, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, 93 percent of Texans rely on personal vehicles as primary means of transportation and drivers in these five regions are each losing, on average, about 52 hours and $1,200 annually due to traffic congestion, Gov. Greg Abbott challenged the Texas Transportation Commission and the Texas Department of Transportation in 2015 to “… create a focused initiative to identify and address the state's most congested chokepoints and work with transportation planners to get new roads built swiftly and effectively …” Formulating a Plan Texas Department of Transportation is being proactive by taking measures to reduce traffic congestion. It began with the appointment of a task force charged with identifying the worst points of congestion and formulating a plan. TxDOT leaders then went on a listening tour to better understand the issues of concern.
The state approved an initial $1.3 billion of new funding for congestion relief in the state’s five largest metropolitan regions, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth and San Antonio.
The task force submitted a proposal of relief in 2016, which was approved by the Commission, who provided an initial $1.3 billion of new funding for congestion relief in the state’s five largest metropolitan regions. According to TxDOT, the initiative includes 14 projects, which adds up to more than 42 mi., including interchanges and flyovers, “for congestion relief at some of the state’s worst chokepoints.” The projects will be funded using two years of funding made available through legislative action to end the diversion highway money for other agencies’ use. TxDOT predicts that the
advancement of these projects to construction will produce an estimated cost savings of $438 million. Dallas-Ft. Worth The Dallas-Ft. Worth area has seen extreme growth in the past few years. In order to keep up with it, said Maria Woodrow, public information assistant for NorthGate Constructors, a joint venture, roadway construction has become a necessity to help connect various sections of the cities. The DFW Connector project is part of the overall $3.8 billion Texas Clear Lanes.
Positioned north of the airport, west of Dallas and east of Fort Worth, Woodrow explained that “this stretch of highway is where commuters are connected to and from all three major destinations.” The project is one of many funded through TxDOT’s Texas Clear Lanes program addressing congestion relief, which Woodrow said is improving mobility in North Texas and across the state. “The various Texas Clear Lanes projects will improve drive times, reduce costs to Texas drivers and improve the community’s quality of life. This initiative is provided by Governor Greg see CLEAR page 18
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