Texas transportation officials will spend the month considering the state's Unified Transportation Program, which could greenlight construction on some $70.2 billion in highway construction between 2017 and 2026.

Dug Begley reports: "Texas' 10-year plan for transportation, which reflects the state's traditional mindset centered on road building rather than greater investment in alternative forms of commuter travel, is expected to send billions of dollars more to expand Houston-area highways, including some of the region's most sought-after freeway projects."
Contrast that statement with the recent CityMap report produced by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which considered ideas for removing and rerouting some of the urban highways located around Dallas.
The plan under consideration in Begley's article, however, is called the Unified Transportation Program—"a blueprint for non-maintenance work on Texas roadways using state dollars via the Texas Department of Transportation." According to Begley, the "Texas Transportation Commission is scheduled to approve the long-term program on Aug. 25. Texans have until Aug. 22 to comment on the plan before it is approved."
FULL STORY: Big Houston-area freeway projects to take shape with state windfall

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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