Texas Clear Lanes Marks 10 Years of Improving Traffic Across the State
In the past 10 years, a lot has changed in Texas, including the addition of five million people to the state. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) projects are helping to reduce traffic delays in both urban and rural areas, even with more people on the road.
Since its inception in 2015, the Texas Clear Lanes initiative has helped improve congestion at the direction of Govenor Greg Abbott. Total hours of delay for a given commuter is down 15% in the last 10 years, even despite 17% more vehicle miles traveled according to the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI).
“We took the charge from Gov. Greg Abbott 10 years ago and turned it into a major program that provides congestion relief where it’s needed most,” Texas Transportation Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg Jr. said. “Not only are we easing commutes in larger cities, but we’re also helping rural areas, and improving Texans’ quality of life no matter where you live.”
According to TxDOT, Under Texas Clear Lanes and with input from metropolitan planning organizations, TxDOT prioritizes non-tolled projects that will bring congestion relief. Since 2015, the program has grown to $80 billion including projects that are complete, under construction or planned for construction.
Some completed Texas Clear Lanes projects have reduced traffic congestion on road segments listed on the Top 100 Congested Road Segments. One section of US 281 in San Antonio that was ranked number 44 on the list fell to a ranking of 2084, indicating TxDOT’s project helped to significantly reduce delays. Other projects across the state showed similar results, including I-35E in Dallas, Loop 820 in Fort Worth and US 290 in Houston.
