The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a

government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

in the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

system, the agency is also responsible for overseeing

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes airplane, fixed-wing and helicopter, rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as aerostat, lighter- ...

, rail, and

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

ation systems in the state. At one time, TxDOT also administered vehicle registration; but this function transferred to the

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) is a state agency of Texas, headquartered in Austin. The agency handles vehicle registration and titling, authorizes operating authorities of motor carriers, and gives grants to law enforcement agencie ...

, a state agency which began operations in November 2009. The agency has been headquartered in the Dewitt C. Greer Building at 125 East 11th Street in

Downtown Austin Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the ...

, Texas, since 1933.

History

The Texas Legislature created the Texas Highway Department in 1916 to administer federal highway construction and maintenance. In 1975, its responsibilities increased when the agency merged with the Texas Mass Transportation Commission, resulting in the formation of the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation. In 1986, the department started using " Don't Mess with Texas" as its slogan to reduce littering on Texas roadways, as part of a statewide advertising campaign. The phrase was prominently shown on road signs on major highways, as well as in television, radio, and print advertisements. The slogan is still in use and remains very popular. In 1991, the Legislature combined the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation, the Department of Aviation, and the Texas Motor Vehicle Commission to create the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). In 1997, the pre-existing Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) was divided into two successor agencies: the

North Texas Tollway Authority The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) is an organization that maintains and operates toll roads, bridges, and tunnels in the North Texas area. Functioning as a political subdivision of the State of Texas under Chapter 366 of the Transp ...

took responsibility for TTA assets in four North Texas counties, while the Turnpike Authority Division of Texas DOT was given jurisdiction over toll facilities in the rest of the state. In 2009, the

was created by the state legislature, taking over some functions from TxDOT.

Administration

TxDOT has approximately 12,000 employees. Marc Williams has served as its executive director since 2021. Williams had served as deputy executive director since 2015. He is assisted by one deputy director, Brandye Hendrickson. The department is organized into 25 geographical districts and 34 divisions.

Districts

TxDOT is one of the state's largest departments in terms of the number of subordinate offices – it maintains 25 geographical districts throughout the state. The large number of departments is needed due to the large size of the state, the widely varying climate and soil conditions affecting public roads, and the differing needs of the local populace (urban vs. suburban vs. rural). In 2010, TxDOT was reorganized into four regions, North, South, East, and West. The regions are designated as Regional Support Centers. The number of districts remained the same. Each district, managed by a district engineer, is responsible for the design, location, construction, and maintenance of its area transportation systems. Local field offices within districts are known as area offices, and many districts also have separate maintenance offices, usually on a county-by-county basis. Functional divisions and offices headquartered in Austin provide administrative and technical support to the districts.

Divisions

Publications

Every month, TxDOT publishes ''

Texas Highways ''Texas Highways'' is a monthly magazine put out by the Texas Department of Transportation that, according to the agency, "promotes travel and tourism to Texas through articles and photography." History Founded in May 1974 by Frank Lively, t ...

'', a magazine aimed at showcasing various aspects of the state, often by providing interesting travel information on a specific stretch of highway (or highways) in the state. TxDOT also publishes the annual ''Texas Travel Guide'', which offers points of interests for all regions of Texas.
Horizon
' is a quarterly journal focusing on transportation policy issues and financing in particular.

Gallery

File:Texas DOT Austin District Office.jpg, TxDOT Austin District office File:TXDOTHouston0.JPG, One building of the headquarters of TxDOT's

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

district File:TXDOTHouston1.JPG, One building of the headquarters of TxDOT's Houston district Image:GreerBuildingTexDOT2.JPG, Dewitt C. Greer Building, the headquarters of the Texas Department of Transportation in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, is a National Registered Historic Place

References

External links

* {{authority control Department of Transportation, Texas State departments of transportation of the United States United States railroad regulation Motor vehicle registration agencies Government agencies established in 1991 1991 establishments in Texas