Inside scoop: Texas Transportation Commission June 2025

June 20, 2025

By Laura Butterbrodt

AUSTIN – Here’s what the Texas Transportation Commission discussed and approved at its June 2025 meeting.

Unified Transportation Program

The Commission heard about the draft 2026 Unified Transportation Program (UTP), which includes an estimated $101.6 billion for projects statewide. This will be the third consecutive year the 10-year statewide plan exceeds $100 billion.

Starting June 27, an open comment period will begin for the public to provide feedback on the draft plan. Comments can be made online, by phone or by mail through July 28 at 4 p.m. CDT.

Updated each year, the UTP “road map” guides project development to improve safety, address congestion and connectivity and preserve roadways for Texas drivers. It also includes public transportation, maritime, aviation, rail, freight, international trade and bicycle and pedestrian connectivity.

Highway safety

Commissioners approved approximately $117 million to be awarded for 420 grants for highway safety programming. The programs fund education and enforcement to reduce traffic crashes and their related deaths, injuries and property damage as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The highway safety programming includes driver education on topics such as seat belts and child safety seats, speed control, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, alcohol and other drug counter measures, and motorcyclist safety. The grants also go toward police traffic services and community programs.

In recent years, Texas has seen decreases in the number of traffic fatalities, with a 3.2% reduction in lives lost from 2023 to 2024, and is on track to see another decrease in 2025. However, there were still 4,159 people killed on Texas roads in 2024. The only acceptable number of deaths is zero.

Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. and Commissioner Alvin New discussed how TxDOT’s safety initiatives through education, engineering and enforcement with law enforcement partners can’t solve the problem of traffic crashes and fatalities on its own.

“This is a shared responsibility,” said Chairman Bugg. “Everybody who gets behind the wheel needs to work together. We’re working on it, DPS is working on it, but once a Texan gets behind the wheel of their car or truck, it’s on them to make safe driving decisions to prevent deaths.”

“You’re the one in the car with your family,” New said, speaking to the public during the Commission meeting. “You can make everyone buckle up. You can choose to follow the speed limit. We all have a responsibility to make this happen.”

Contracts

The commissioners awarded low-bid value amounts of $685 million for 64 highway improvement projects, $58.4 million for 24 routine maintenance projects and $2.7 million for one building construction and rehabilitation project.

Aviation

The Commission awarded $59.6 million in state and federal IIJA funding to 14 airports for capital improvement projects and development.

State Infrastructure Bank

Commissioners granted two State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) loans. Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation may borrow up to $21.6 million for deck structures over Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) in Dallas County. A loan of up to $353,000 was granted to Rio Water Supply Corporation for utility relocation on SL 195 in Starr County.

The SIB Program assists communities with low-interest financing to meet their infrastructure needs.

Service acknowledgement

The Commission recognized the retirement of Chief Engineer Lance Simmons after 32 years of service. Simmons began his TxDOT career as a summer intern, then spent more than 20 years in the Atlanta District, where he was named director of operations in 2010. He became the Bryan District Engineer in 2015, and TxDOT director of Engineering and Safety Operations in 2021. He served as chief engineer from July 2022 to his retirement this June.

TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams commended Simmons’ commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of both the public and TxDOT employees during his tenure. Simmons led the team that created TxDOT’s Foundation 14 safety best practices and led the statewide emergency response during numerous incidents, including Hurricane Harvey.

Project highlights

The commissioners and Executive Director Williams highlighted the progress of the Spur 399 extension in the Dallas District and I-20 in the Odessa District.

The Spur 399 groundbreaking is part of the US 380 Corridor Improvement Project in Collin and Denton counties. The project is part of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative, a program that provides funds to help reduce congestion on Texas roads.

On I-20, new bridges were built at Cotton Flat and Midkiff overpasses in Midland to help prevent bridge strikes, especially from oil and gas equipment.