charles jacobi
The headline couldn’t be more clear: Americans are flocking to Texas. According to SmartAsset research, approximately 55,000 households and more than 100,000 individuals have moved to the state. Behind these inland pilgrims are blue-chip companies like Elon Musk’s Tesla. Apple plans to follow suit and build its second largest campus in Austin. Silicon Valley giant Hewlett-Packard announced its move to Texas in 2020. Texas is Texas, and it’s growing big.
The more a state experiences human-induced sprawl, the more it must accommodate an increasing number of motorists. Failure to do so will have dire consequences beyond simply congested roads and increased travel times. Unmanaged traffic can slow emergency response times, and failure to accommodate large numbers of motorists at intersections can create safety issues. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, heavy traffic has a positive linear relationship with accidents. As Americans flock to Texas, it’s important that the Department of Transportation continues to meet the region’s transportation needs.
Addressing infrastructure challenges in fast-growing Texas
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is prepared to meet this challenge. The department’s draft 2025 Unified Transportation Plan proposes just over $104 billion in transportation spending. This funding will be used to study TxDOT transportation and highway improvement projects across the state with the goal of improving the movement of people and goods. TxDOT emphasized that safety is a top priority in this effort as well. Since November 2000, one person has gone missing on Texas roads every day.
Building the infrastructure is only part of the challenge of transporting large numbers of drivers safely. Assessing how a new highway will impact a community is another critical step in making any transportation project a win. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to consider how large projects affect humans and the natural environment. In addition, federal agencies must continue to comply with several executive orders and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. EO 12898, issued by President Clinton in 1994, required federal agencies to identify and address “disproportionately high” and “adverse” impacts on human health and the environment from government actions against minorities and low-income populations. I am instructed to do so. Under EO 12898, this must be done “to the maximum extent practicable”. Title VI states that “no person in the United States, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, shall be excluded from participation in or benefit from any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” They must not be rejected or discriminated against.” assistance”. This includes processes involved in highway construction and other projects involving federal funds.
EO 12898 pertains to environmental justice (EJ) populations, namely minorities and low-income populations. Limited English proficiency people (LEPs) are also concerned about Title VI compliance. EJ and LEP populations are potentially vulnerable to environmental impacts from new highway construction, which requires acquisition of new right-of-way with the potential to relocate facilities. For example, low-income families may not be able to afford the loss of tax-funded community facilities that are more affordable or free. LEP residents, regardless of their socio-economic status, may be unable to express concerns about federal projects due to language barriers. Therefore, federal agencies will provide interpreters for public meetings regarding the proposed project. Additionally, although Americans with disabilities have not traditionally been classified as an EJ population, they must also be considered when federal projects propose land acquisition. Americans with disabilities may be dependent on certain nearby facilities, and the removal or reduction of access to those facilities can significantly impede their well-being. For a fully structured conceptualization of how a proposed project will impact the local community, even children’s walking routes to school need to be considered. As Texas continues to experience remarkable growth, addressing the need for more infrastructure and preventing undue harm to vulnerable populations while preserving the community way of life is an important focus. It will be a worthy challenge.
Environmental justice in transportation projects
Corridor projects and other large-scale federal construction projects are often thought of as harmful to LEP and EJ people by their very nature. However, this is not always the case. For example, the construction of relief routes could provide alternative routes for motorists around urban links and reduce the amount of air pollutants within urbanized areas. Research shows that EJ populations have historically been vulnerable to the negative effects of air pollutants, likely due to their frequent proximity to urbanized areas. Other road and bridge projects could provide easier routes for EJ and LEP people to access public transportation, which they rely heavily on to get to work and school. Highway infrastructure improvements may include the installation of pedestrian bridges, increased sidewalk paving, and increased shared-use paths. These are all improvements that will benefit the EJ population who do not own a car. Environmental scientists use tools such as NEPAssit and EJScreen, geographic information system (GIS) applications created by the Environmental Protection Agency, to better help determine the EJ status of populations.
The future of Texas infrastructure is bright. The next few years will assess where states stand in terms of NEPA compliance and their ability to run processes smoothly while maintaining, and in many cases improving, the health of EJs and LEPs spread across the state. There will be plenty of opportunity. Population increase due to infrastructure development.
Charles Jacobi is an environmental scientist at VRX, a civil engineering and transportation consulting firm in Plano, Texas. He holds dual graduate degrees in Natural Resource Management and Biological Sciences.
