TxDOT Mission

Work with others to provide safe and reliable transportation solutions for Texas.

TxDOT Goals

• Maintain a safe system
• Address congestion
• Connect Texas communities
• Best-in-class state agency

TxDOT Values

• Trust
• Integrity
• Responsibility
• Excellence
• Service

In this issue

• TxDOT Podcast: National Work Zone Awareness Week
• Attention: Work Zone Ahead
• Refreshed Don't Mess With Texas Campaign Unveiled
• Texas Highways: Best Summer Ever!
• Jennings Named Chief Information Officer
• Transportation Commission to Meet April 25
• Text. Talk. Crash

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April 15, 2013

Here's our roundup of Texas Department of Transportation news and events. If you have any questions, comments or just want to know more about something you read here, send a message to AskTxDOT@txdot.gov.

TxDOT Podcast: National Work Zone Awareness Week

The weekly TxDOT Podcast keeps you updated on the latest transportation news and issues, and new episodes are published every Friday on the TxDOT website, www.txdot.gov.

National Work Zone Awareness Week begins today, not just in Texas, but across the country. With distracted driving on the rise, adding to the myriad of bad things that can happen to workers and motorists alike in a work zone, the message is as timely as it is relevant. In this week's episode, we talk with TxDOT Deputy Executive Director John Barton for more about the need to slow down, pay attention and drive safely in work zones. Episodes are also available on iTunes.

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Attention: Work Zone Ahead

Everyone should take responsibility for work zone safety, from engineers and planners to drivers and pedestrians.

In 2012, there were 16,687 crashes in Texas roadway construction and maintenance zones, resulting in 134 fatalities. TxDOT maintains more than 80,000 miles of highway and oversees more than 1,000 construction or maintenance projects at any given time. With so much construction, motorists frequently encounter work zones. Navigating construction can be difficult, not to mention risky for both drivers and workers. Watch this video for tips on driving safely through a work zone.

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Refreshed Don't Mess With Texas Campaign Unveiled

Iconic trash cans remind Texans to keep the state litter-free.

TxDOT's world famous anti-litter campaign "Don't mess with Texas®" has a new look designed to appeal to young adults between the ages of 16 and 34 who were not born when TxDOT first rolled out the program in 1986. The centerpiece of the new campaign is the iconic red, white, and blue "Don't mess with Texas" trash can. The cans will be prominently placed at Texas travel information centers, popular tourist attractions and stadiums to remind Texans to properly dispose of their cigarettes, food containers, plastic bags and candy wrappers.

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Texas Highways: Best Summer Ever!

With summer almost here, the May issue of Texas Highways offers 12 inspired travel ideas to celebrate those warm months and stay cool. Also in this issue of the official travel magazine of Texas, get away to Corpus Christi for some family fun and sun; take the kids on a camping trip to some of the state's most beautiful spots; and embark on a tour of uptown Dallas' culinary scene. Follow the magazine on Twitter and Facebook.

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Jennings Named Chief Information Officer

Tim Jennings

TxDOT veteran Tim Jennings has been named chief information officer, overseeing all information technology support for the agency. Jennings, who began his TxDOT career in 1990, most recently served as interim chief information officer and director of the Information Technology Strategy Office. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Angelo State University and is chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Technology and Application Architecture Task Force.

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Transportation Commission to Meet April 25

The Texas Transportation Commission will convene for its regular monthly meeting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, at 125 E. 11th Street in Austin. The Commission will consider approving updates to the 2013 Unified Transportation Program and awarding federal and state grant funding for airport improvement projects at various locations.

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Text. Talk. Crash

With distracted driving causing thousands of crashes a year, TxDOT and its safety partners around the state urge drivers to refrain from cell phone use and texting while on the road. TxDOT statistics show that more than 90,000 crashes in 2012 involved distraction in a vehicle, driver inattention or cell phone use, and 453 of these crashes were fatal. Overall, nearly one in four crashes on Texas roadways involves driver distraction.

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All inquiries may be directed to AskTxDOT@txdot.gov.