July 12, 2012

Texas is again ranked No. 1 among the states as a place to do business. It is also No. 1 for transportation and TxDOT is making a point of saying that adding lanes to I-35 and continuing progress on building out sections of Interstate 69 are a big part of why.

CNBC's 2012 Top States for Business study is out and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) couldn’t be more proud of the results.

In a statement today Transportation Commission Chairman Ted Houghton said, “Texas stands alone as the leader in economic development and job creation and providing the infrastructure for that activity is a daily undertaking for our team. We are moving forward with multiple mega projects across the state, including the I-35 corridor expansion and I-69 from South Texas to East Texas. Activities like these undoubtedly helped us surge to the top of the ranks.”

“This recognition is a good testament that TxDOT has become more innovative in constructing our state infrastructure while continuing to address congestion, connectivity and safety needs,” said Senator Tommy Williams, Chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security
Committee. “As chairman, my goal is to look for methods to maintain and fund ongoing and future projects, especially as the state population continues to grow, and I am proud of what
we’ve accomplished in Texas.”
According to CNBC, Texas racked up an impressive 1,604 points out of a possible 2,500, with
top-10 finishes in six of the 10 categories of competitiveness. Of the 325 total possible points for
the Infrastructure and Transportation category, Texas scored 248.

“Texas is making the proper investment in infrastructure and being recognized as a national
leader proves we are on the right track,” said TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson. “Achieving
this great honor, however, would not be possible without the hard work and commitment of all
TxDOT employees statewide.”

Access to all modes of transportation is key to getting products to market and people on the
move. CNBC measured the vitality of each state’s transportation system by the value of goods
shipped by air, land and water. They also looked at the availability of air travel in each state, and
the quality of the roads.

“Good transportation infrastructure is vital to achieving economic development in our state. It’s
nice to see our efforts are paying off here in Texas,” said Representative Larry Phillips, Chair of
the House Transportation Committee. “We will continue to work hard in the upcoming session to
ensure good policy and funding is available to help TxDOT succeed.”

“We continuously work with all of our partners to address transportation needs throughout the
state—from highways to ports to rail to aviation,” Wilson said. “Through the collaboration with
local communities, we are able to deliver needed improvements now and provide the foundation
for the future.”