Texas Transportation Commission adopts $85B plan, projects will affect Bay Area

LEAGUE CITY, Texas -- On Aug. 30, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the adoption of an $85 billion, 10-year statewide road construction plan known as the Unified Transportation Program. The UTP is the master document for the Texas Department of Transportation.

The video featured above is from a previous report.

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According to Abbott's office, the UTP funds will coincide with an additional $32 billion over 10 years for routine maintenance and project development, including more than 7,000 projects and a total investment of $117 billion statewide.

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A few of the projects are earmarked in or around the Bay Area. Each will go to bid between 2023 and 2026.

Three separate projects totaling $71.43 million will widen FM 646 between Edmund Way and North Highway 146. One will widen FM 646 between Edmund Way and FM 1266 at the cost of $33.5 million, and, as a separate project, another portion of FM 646 between FM 1266 and FM 3436 will be widened. Yet another project will widen FM 646 between FM 3436 and North Highway 146.

A fourth Bay Area project includes creating an interchange at FM 517 and I-45. The cost is estimated at $65.88 million.

In addition to highway projects, the UTP outlines investments in public transportation, maritime, aviation, rail, and freight.

In a news release, Abbott said the UTP will help with population and economic growth in Texas.

"As more people move to Texas and businesses grow across the state, we are working together to make sure Texans' transportation safety and mobility are secured and businesses can flourish for generations to come," Abbott said.

The projects that will be part of the UTP will be funded through legislative and voter-approved initiatives that allocate portions of oil and gas taxes, sales taxes, and other money to the state highway fund.The Texas Transportation Commission, the governing board for TxDOT, is required to approve a new 10-year plan each year.

Texas Transportation Commission Chair J. Bruce Bugg Jr. said the UTP remains one of the top priorities of TxDOT.

Jake Magee contributed to this report.

This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers.