Summary: Nearly 10 years ago, Texas voters gave the Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT's governing body, the authority to issue $3 billion in bonds to pay for state highway improvements. The law stipulated that 20 percent of that amount be spent on projects that would reduce crashes and improve safety across the system. The $3 billion was later increased to $6 billion. Since then, that funding has helped the department make significant improvements to more than 1,150 miles of roadways, but it begs the question: did it work? A recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute says it did, and for more on that study, I spoke with John Barton, TxDOT's Deputy Executive Director.
