Inside Scoop: Texas Transportation Commission April 2026

May 4, 2026

By Laura Butterbrodt

AUSTIN – Here’s what the Texas Transportation Commission discussed and approved at its April meeting.

Maintenance safety recognition

Acting Commission Chair Alvin New commended the incredible safety records at four TxDOT maintenance facilities across the state. Each of the four area offices have gone nearly two decades without an injury incident. Crews at the Stonewall County, Linden County, San Augustine County and Uvalde area maintenance offices were celebrated with a surprise BBQ and commemorative hats.

National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program

The commission voted to authorize Phase II of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to proceed with approximately $250 million in grants to build 147 electric vehicle charging stations with Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.

Phase I of the Texas NEVI program began in 2023, allocating $53 million in federal funding for 65 electric vehicle charging sites in Texas. 15 of those sites are completed and open to the public.

Texas bridges and pavements update

A presentation about the condition of Texas bridges and pavements reflected significant progress in maintenance and asset preservation. Texas has nearly 57,000 bridges – the largest inventory of any state in the nation – and TxDOT manages more than 200,000 lane miles of roads.

Bridge Division Director Jamie Farris shared that the average bridge condition score as of 2025 is 89.45, with progress on track to reach the target score of 90. Less than one percent of Texas’ bridges are in poor condition, with an average of 225 bridges replaced and 500 new bridges built every year. All bridges in Texas are inspected every two years, or more frequently as needed.

Maintenance Division Director James Stevenson reported that 90.23 percent of TxDOT’s on-system roads are in good or better pavement condition. Approximately 25,000 lane miles are resurfaced every year and about 700 new lane miles are added each year.

Keeping Texas roads and bridges in good repair is important for the safety of the traveling public, and saves money because it’s more expensive to replace a road or bridge than it is to perform routine maintenance.

In order to prioritize where work needs to be done, TxDOT leverages numerous innovative technologies. These include portable Weight-in-Motion and Wavetronix scales and sensors to measure vehicle use and wear on roads, automated statewide pavement data collection, real-time bridge metrics dashboards, drones and remote sensing.

Texas population update

Dr. Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center, provided an update about Texas’ growing population. As of July 2025, the state’s population is estimated at 31.7 million people, with an increase of 391,000 from the year before – about 1,072 people per day. This reflects more than 20 percent of the national population increase from 2024.

More than 87 percent of the Texas population lives on or east of the I-35 corridor, with a majority in the “Texas Triangle” of Dallas/Fort Worth-Houston-San Antonio. You noted that while these metropolitan areas continue to see the highest increases in population, the majority are moving to suburban counties outside the city centers.

There is also a projected decrease in the rate of population growth in the upcoming years due to low fertility rates and a large volume of aging population. However, Texas is still predicted to grow to 42.6 million people by 2060 based on current trends and projections.

TxDOT Deputy Executive Director Brian Barth said these updates help inform project selections based on population need.

Contracts

The commissioners awarded low-bid value amounts of $787.5 million for 64 highway improvement projects and $16 million for nine routine maintenance contracts.

The commission also approved the design-build contract for State Highway 99 Grand Parkway Segment B-1 in Brazoria and Galveston counties. Ferrovial Construction-Webber 99 was selected from three applicants for a contract of $1.47 billion. Final award and execution is expected later this year with a projected project completion in 2032.

The project includes the design, construction and maintenance of two tolled lanes in each direction along SH99 from south of FM 2403 to FM 646, and non-tolled improvements along both SH99 and SH35. The project is approximately 15 miles in length and will provide important connectivity and serve as an emergency evacuation route.

Aviation

The commission awarded $17 million in state and federal grant funding for capital improvement projects at seven airports.

State Infrastructure Bank

Commissioners granted three State Infrastructure Bank loans totaling $9.2 million. The SIB program assists communities with low-interest financing to meet their infrastructure needs.

Rail facilities administrative rule

The commission approved a new subchapter to the Texas Administrative Code to describe the policies and procedures for the Short Line Railroad Improvement State Fund Program. The program, which will allow for state grant funding to be awarded to Class II and III short line railroads, was authorized in the 89th Legislature.

Senior leadership

Executive Director Marc Williams announced William “Bill” Walsh has been named as the next director of the Procurement Division. Walsh has 15 years of public procurement experience and will succeed Ken Wood after his retirement in May.