TXSC Transportation Policy Paper

Legislature can improve our Texas transportation system by allowing TxDOT to choose the right mode of transportation for the right challenge, backed by expertise, public input, and efficient design solutions.

Legislative priorities

TxDOT’s funding must allow flexibility to invest in more transportation options. 

TxDOT must have the flexibility to use federal, state, and other funds to build and maintain the most efficient mode of transportation to increase safety and reduce congestion. TxDOT staff have expertise in multiple modes of transit, but are limited by the constitutional limitations on the State Highway Fund. This fund must be amended in order to invest in multiple modes of transit to increase health and safety. 

HJR 58, Bucy: Proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing the temporary use of money in the state highway fund for transit-oriented projects.

HJR 63, Walle/SJR 33, Miles: Proposing a constitutional amendment to permit additional uses of certain dedicated general revenue transferred each fiscal year to the state highway fund.

SB 2770, Cook: One Texas Transportation Commissioner (TTC) must have multimodal expertise. 

The TTC, the decision making body for transportation planning, must have experience as a frequent user of multimodal transportation. The Governor appoints members with the advice and consent of the Senate. Of the five current members, none have the expertise of a multimodal user. Two work in banking, one in food stores, one in petroleum, and one in property development. In order to ensure that the transportation needs of all Texans are met, at least one of the five voting members represent the demographic of a multimodal user. 

SB 2732, Cook: TxDOT must hold District-wide meetings. 

TxDOT holds public education and input meetings for individual projects, which are intermittent and create confusion among impacted communities and elected officials. There must be a public forum on the TxDOT District level to: 1- demonstrate how projects in planning and development within each TxDOT District work together, 2- gather public input on the overall District plan and how it fits into TxDOT’s Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan.

Though Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) do hold bi-annual Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) meetings, TxDOT is responsible for building highways and therefore, as a State agency, must be accountable to the public and our elected officials. 

HB 5413, Hinojosa: Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) must have the flexibility to designate ‘metropolitan lanes’ to optimize mobility through metropolitan areas. 

Currently, when TxDOT builds managed lanes on an existing highway, they expand to accommodate these new lanes. Such projects are extremely expensive, and often face challenges due to right of way acquisition and local activist opposition. These delays only increase cost. 

HB 5413 gives TxDOT the flexibility to convert existing lanes in certain locations into managed lanes. Such treatment can provide immediate low-cost relief on our most congested roads. 

• Allows a Metropolitan Planning Organization to dedicate up to 10% of on-system roadways as Metropolitan Lanes.
• Allows TxDOT the flexibility to convert existing lanes into managed lanes (freight only, high occupancy vehicle or transit) on Metropolitan Lanes.
• Does not allow tolling on existing lanes.

Bills to Watch

See what transportation bills we’re following.