When you have cities like El Paso, Houston and Austin all in the same state, it doesn't make sense for all the transportation decisions to be made from one central headquarters. It takes locals to know what infrastructure they need and want most. Local and regional officials need to have a real say in how the state spends its transportation dollars.

We are working with locals to create pass-through financing agreements, Regional Mobility Authorities, and shore up the potential of the Texas Metropolitan Mobility Plan.

Tarrant County

Officials from the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments have made the North Tarrant Express a high priority, and have already received a great deal of interest from the private sector for the 36-mile project's development through a Comprehensive Development Agreement, a kind of public-private partnership.

Weatherford

A pass-through financing agreement addressing nine projects in the city came to fruition after a local government agency took the lead in funding and constructing needed transportation improvements. The city/state partnership allows the City of Weatherford to issue bonds, while TxDOT reimburses them through a fee based on the number of vehicles using the highway over time.

Grayson County

Another pass-through financing success has taken place in Grayson County, where thanks to local efforts, completion of SH 289 will take place approximately 10 years sooner than with traditional TxDOT funding sources. The leadership shown by Grayson County and the creation of the Grayson County Regional Mobility Authority (RMA) has brought decision-making to the local level. The goal of the leadership is to generate funds from this project and others like it so that more transportation system improvement projects can be developed for the area.

Dallas

In Dallas, communication proved to be the key to building the city’s largest transportation project to date – the Dallas High Five. The project, a five-level interchange at the juncture of U.S. 75 and Interstate 635, was a collaboration between TxDOT, project contractor Zachry Construction, adjacent property owners and the 500,000 motorists who drive through the area, one of the city’s most developed commercial zones.