In November 2007, Texas voters approved Proposition 12, which authorized the issuance of up to $5 billion in general obligation bonds. In mid-2009, the Texas Legislature authorized TxDOT to go to contract on approximately $2 billion of those voter-approved bonds for non-tolled highway projects. The TxDOT press release states:
Project Selection
TxDOT districts and Metropolitan Planning Organizations were asked to help develop project selection criteria and a list of potential projects eligible for Proposition 12 funding. They identified more than $8.9 billion in possible projects.
Project Categories
In order to narrow this list to the approximately $2 billion of Proposition 12 funding available, TxDOT staff divided the projects into three categories:
- Corridor projects, which are of statewide significance
- Rehabilitation and safety projects, which focus on improving declining pavement scores and driver safety
- Mobility projects, which focus on relieving congestion on specific roadway segments
TxDOT also used the recently developed list of the 100 most congested roadways in making the staff recommendation.
Staff-Recommended Projects
TxDOT presented a list of projects recommended by staff for funding from Proposition 12 bonds to the Texas Transportation Commission at its October 2009 meeting. The Commission indicated that they are likely to vote on a final list of Proposition 12-funded projects at their regular November 2009 meeting in Austin.
