TXDOT To Commit $600 Million To Reducing Roadway Deaths

Texas typically has around 3,900 roadway fatalities annually and the Houston region leads the nation’s major metro areas in avoidable roadway deaths. In 2019, there were 1,857 roadway fatalities in the first six months of the year, which is about 50 less than last year. However, the Texas Transportation Commission recently ordered officials from the Texas Department of Transportation to identify strategies to cut the state’s roadway fatalities in half by 2035.

To do so, $600 million has been dedicated, over the next two years, to reducing fatalities on Texas’ roadways and $390 million of it would go towards straightening roads, improving lighting and adding guardrails. Officials in TxDOT’s 27 districts will have extensive authority over how the money is expended and each district will create a four-year safety plan, specifying projects proposed for the money’s use.

While the funds dedicated to improving safety and in an effort to reduce roadway fatalities are laudable, TxDOT’s 10-year Unified Transportation Program totals $76.2 billion and less than 5% of it is earmarked for safety. Accordingly, Texans will likely still perish on the roadways. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed as the result of an accident on a Texas roadway, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-231-9360 or toll free at 1‑800-594-4884.