REFUGIO COUNTY, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott announced $148 billion for transportation infrastructure across the state last month.
That includes major projects in the Texas Department of Transportation Corpus Christi District related to U.S. Route 77. A portion of that investment is for TxDOT's Unified Transportation Program, or UTP, which those US 77 projects are a part of.
The total investment is $5.6 billion dollars more than the previous year, according to TxDOT. Officials said it will improve safety and address congestion as Texas' population and economy booms.
"TxDOT is meeting that boom with a record investment in our state roads and infrastructure," said Rickey Dailey, public information officer for the TxDOT Corpus Christi District.
More than $104 billion will go toward TxDOT's 10-year UTP. Multiple US 77 projects are planned, including main lanes and frontage roads in Woodsboro and a proposed relief route in Refugio. Dailey said that the new route would take US 77 east of Refugio.
"There are numerous stoplights in Refugio," Dailey said. "Those will not exist on the relief route so the traffic can continue to flow."
Dailey said that an environmental decision for the relief route is expected in 2025. The property acquisition process and detailed designing would happen after that. He said the earliest the project is expected to go to bid is in 2028 or 2029.
The existing portion of US 77 in Sinton and Woodsboro would also be upgraded to interstate standards. Dailey said that it provides controlled access to the highway.
"It helps with connectivity, it helps with mobility and it helps with safety," Dailey said.
Dailey said that the Sinton project is currently in the property acquisition and utility adjustment phase, and the final design is being prepared. It is scheduled to go to bid in Summer 2026.
Since US 77 is a well-traveled highway with commercial trucks and commuters, he explained how decisions are made to create something like a relief route around Refugio.
"We looked at safety, we looked at anticipated traffic in the out years, and those help guide the local decisions on what projects to elevate," Dailey said.
US 77 currently goes through Refugio. Dailey said that the relief route can help with congestion while increasing mobility and improving safety. A public hearing for it is planned in early 2025.