At its January 2026 meeting, the Texas Transportation Commission reviewed the state’s response to a recent winter storm and discussed upcoming transportation projects and funding plans.
TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams and the commissioners praised employees for their work during the winter storm that affected much of Texas in late January. Crews worked around the clock, beginning with pretreating roads before the storm and continuing with efforts to clear ice and snow. More than 13 million gallons of brine and over 50,000 cubic feet of granular material were used statewide. Some areas remained under 24/7 operations a week after the event.
Acting Commission Chairman Alvin New recognized TxDOT teams for their collaboration across regions and their support for neighboring districts. During the peak of the storm, more than 5,000 road segments were impacted. TxDOT coordinated with other state agencies and contractors to keep roads accessible as quickly as possible. The public was encouraged to use DriveTexas.org for real-time updates; during the event, the site received over 1.6 million visits, and there were 11,000 calls to TxDOT Travel Information Centers.
Williams stated: “The robust response across the state and the long days and nights crews spent working on clearing roads is commendable.”
Humberto “Tito” Gonzalez Jr., TxDOT Director of Transportation Planning and Programming, presented an outline for the 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP), which will guide project development over ten years. The UTP is expected to allocate $94.5 billion in funding over this period, with total investments including maintenance contracts estimated at $138.9 billion. A draft plan will be presented later this year, with adoption anticipated in August.
Acting Chair New shared preliminary data from 2025 indicating a continued decrease in average daily traffic fatalities—10.2 per day compared to 11.3 in 2024—with numbers declining each year since 2020. He commented: “While this is positive news, there is still work to be done by both TxDOT and the traveling public.” He emphasized ongoing investments in engineering, innovation, education campaigns, law enforcement partnerships, and personal responsibility among drivers.
Williams noted that TxDOT hosted the 2026 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Assignment Peer Exchange at its Austin headquarters during the winter storm’s aftermath. The event brought together transportation leaders from various states and federal organizations to discuss ideas and collaborations.
Leadership changes were also announced for the Texas Freight Advisory Committee following Judge Edward Emmett’s retirement after thirteen years as chair; Gerry Schwebel has been appointed as his successor.
New highlighted $1.4 billion in federal funding for Texas Health and Human Services’ Rural Health Transformation Program—allocating $281 million annually over five years—which aims to improve rural healthcare access partly through expanding highway connectivity between communities of more than 20,000 residents.
The commission approved contracts totaling $484 million for sixty-two highway improvement projects, $32 million for twenty-two routine maintenance projects, and $15.7 million for building construction in Bandera County.
In aviation matters, $29 million was awarded through state and federal grants for capital improvements at six airports.
For public transportation needs—including additional vehicles for an Electric Vehicle Pilot Program—the commission allocated $2.4 million from state funds and Federal Transit Administration project funds.
Three State Infrastructure Bank loans were granted: up to $14.8 million for El Paso County projects; up to $16.8 million for utility relocation on US 377 in Hood County; and up to $17.4 million for utility relocation on SH 205 in Rockwall County. Since its inception in 1997, this low-interest program has provided more than $1 billion in loans supporting infrastructure projects across Texas communities.
Nationally, new guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced $7.3 billion in formula funding aimed at helping states prepare for extreme weather events such as wildfires or flooding under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-administration-announces-new-protect-formula-program-73-billion-bipartisan).
Additionally, more than $2.2 billion has been awarded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program by Secretary Pete Buttigieg as part of broader efforts to modernize transportation systems nationwide (https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-announces-funding-166-projects-modernize-transportation).
Recent innovations have also focused on improving accessibility; winners of a recent Inclusive Design Challenge received awards totaling $5 million from USDOT to enhance mobility options for people with disabilities using automated vehicles (https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/anniversary-ada-usdot-announces-winners-its-first-ever-inclusive-design-challenge).
In related developments supporting supply chain efficiency nationwide, DOT initiatives like FLOW have expanded participation among industry partners sharing data securely with USDOT (https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-supply-chain-companies-collaborate-speed-movement-goods-cut-costs-consumers).
Finally, modernization efforts extend beyond highways: nearly $20 million was recently awarded by USDOT’s Maritime Administration through Small Shipyard Grants supporting upgrades at shipyards across nineteen states (https://www.maritime.dot.gov/newsroom/maritime-administration-awards-nearly-20-million-funding-strengthen-us-shipyard-economic).
Innovation continues within rail transport as well; train crew sizes have gradually decreased over decades due to technological advances but currently remain at two-person crews per industry practice (https://railroads.dot.gov/newsroom/press-releases/fra-issues-proposed-rule-enhance-train-safety-codify-train-crew-size-0).
