AUSTIN, TX The Texas Transportation Commission has approved 28 more projects encompassing more than $203 million worth of roadway construction, rehabilitation and restoration. Commissioners have now approved final contract awards on 60 of the 200 planned Proposition 1 projects.

Specific projects awarded  include the construction of freeway ramps on U.S. 90 in Bexar County; the widening of U.S. 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 the Texas Department of Transportation (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 these 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.