The Texas Transportation Commission awarded low-bid contracts valued at $405 million for 35 highway improvement projects at its October meeting, according to a recap published Oct. 30 by the Texas Department of Transportation.
TxDOT said commissioners also approved $50 million for 23 routine maintenance contracts and $16.8 million to build a new maintenance facility in San Marcos. On rail, the commission awarded $9.2 million from the Texas Off-System Rail Grade Separation State Fund Program for the Union Pacific Railroad pedestrian crossing at Beitel Creek in San Antonio. The agency said the funding is part of a major award of federal funding used to leverage more than $756 million from the Federal Railroad Administration, and that such projects aim to reduce crashes at railroad crossings by limiting interactions between vehicles, pedestrians and railroad operations.
The commission approved the 2025-2026 Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Report, which TxDOT said will be published and presented to the Legislature in the next regular session. According to the agency, the report evaluates the waterway’s economic impact, identifies principal problems and possible solutions, and offers recommendations for legislative action. TxDOT said the waterway provided $178.9 billion in total economic value in 2025 and supports more than a half million jobs.
Commissioner Robert Vaughn highlighted the completion of the $679 million Oak Hill Parkway project in Austin, TxDOT said. He commended its safety and mobility improvements, which include flyovers between US 290 and SH 71, additional nonstop mainlanes and enhanced bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. The agency said Oak Hill Parkway is part of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative, created in 2015 to address the state’s most congested road segments, which has nearly reached $93 billion in completed, active and planned construction projects.
The commission also approved changes to the Memorial Sign Program, which offers commemorative highway signs near the sites of certain crashes. TxDOT said the new rules follow amendments made during the 89th Legislative Session to modify the sign design and clarify eligibility. Motorcyclists killed by another driver’s negligence and people killed in crashes caused by impaired driving on the state highway system are eligible, while motorcycle operators under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance at the time of the crash are excluded, according to the agency.
The new signs will replace the red cross symbol with a motorcycle safety message, and applicants can choose from “Look twice for motorcycles,” “Share the road” or “Watch for motorcycles.” The signs are posted for two years at the crash site and then given to the applicant, TxDOT said.
Commissioners also granted a State Infrastructure Bank loan of up to $15 million over 10 years to the City of Eagle Pass for utility relocation and extension in Maverick County, the agency said. TxDOT added that more than 3,000 of its employees gathered in College Station earlier this month for the 100th Annual Transportation Short Course.