Texas Transportation Commissioners must have a hangover—backing off its highway building ambitions just a few months after approving the $85 billion Unified Transportation Plan in August 2022.
Just a few months after approving $85 billion in road building projects as part of a ten-year Unified Transportation Plan approved in August, Texas Transportation Commission officials warned the public that some of the state’s massive highway building plans might have to wait.
“Rising labor and material costs prompted a warning from the Texas Transportation Commission Tuesday that some highway projects could have to wait,” reports Dug Begley in a paywalled article for the Houston Chronicle. Inflation is already pushing the cost of some of the projects in the Unified Transportation Plan by more than 30 percent, according to commissioners and data cited in the article.
“For November the state's highway cost index — which tracks the average cost of materials and labor based on recent bids on construction work — was 31.3 percent higher than it was a year ago and 37.5 percent above November 2019,” writes Begley.
Transportation Commissioner Alvin New is quoted in the article suggesting that there might be a point where the state finally has to say “no” to road building projects. Despite the sudden sobriety on the Texas Transportation Commission, the state did recently decided to move forward with the controversial North Houston Highway Improvement Project to widen Interstate 45 in Houston.
The source article below digs into more detail about the potential risks of building too much, too fast as a response to inflation, and what the state stands to lose if inflation takes a chunk out of the plan.
FULL STORY: TxDOT officials, citing rising costs, predict they will need to say 'no' to some highway projects
TxDOT Approves I-45 Widening Despite Local Opposition
Despite every manner of local opposition, the Texas Department of Transportation is pushing forward with a plan to widen Interstate 45 north of the city of Houston, demolishing and displacing thousands of homes, businesses, and community facilities.
A Freeway Rebellion Rises in the Unlikeliest of States: Texas
“There’s no train, there’s no bus, there’s no anything that supports mass transportation. It doesn’t exist.” -Houston resident Fabian Ramirez.
Austin City Council Urges TxDOT to Reconsider I-35 Expansion
In a letter to the department, the city called for an increased focus on shifting demand away from single-occupancy vehicles and boosting other forms of transportation.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
