Transportation in Texas
Encyclopedia
The Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) is a government
al agency and its purpose is to "provide safe, effective, and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with maintenance of the state's immense highway
system, the agency is also responsible for aviation
in the state and overseeing public transport
ation systems.
Texas freeways have been heavily traveled since their 1948 beginnings with a several-mile stretch of Houston's Gulf Freeway, and are often under construction to meet the demands of continuing growth. As of 2005, there were 79,535 miles of public highway in Texas (up from 71,000 in 1984). Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) planners have sought ways to reduce rush hour congestion, primarily through High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for vans and carpools. The "Texas T
", an innovation originally introduced in Houston, is a ramp design that allows vehicles in the HOV lane, which is usually the center lane, to exit directly to transit centers or to enter the freeway directly into the HOV lane without crossing multiple lanes of traffic. Timed freeway entrances, which regulate the addition of cars to the freeway, are also common. Houston and San Antonio have extensive networks of freeway cameras linked to transit control centers to monitor and study traffic.
One characteristic of Texas's freeways are its frontage road
s (also known as service roads, feeder roads, and access roads). Texas is the only state that widely constructs frontage/access roads along its highways even in the most remote areas.http://austin.about.com/od/streets/f/frontageroad.htm Frontage roads provide access to the freeway from businesses alongside, such as gas stations and retail stores, and vice versa. Alongside most freeways along with the frontage roads are two to four lanes in each direction parallel to the freeway permitting easy access to individual city streets. A TxDOT policy change now limits the frontage road construction for new highways, but the existing frontage will remain. New landscaping projects and a longstanding ban on new billboards are ways Houston
has tried to control the potential side effects of convenience.
Another common characteristic found near Texas overpasses are the Texas U-turn
s which is a lane allowing cars traveling on one side of a one-way frontage road to U-turn into the opposite frontage road (typically crossing over or under a freeway or expressway) without being stopped by traffic lights or crossing the highway traffic at-grade.
In March 2011, Texas ranked as a bottom-ten "Worst" state (tied with Montana
and North Dakota
) in the American State Litter Scorecard, presented at the American Society for Public Administration
national conference. The Lone Star State suffers from poor quality and effectiveness of public space cleanliness--including roadway and adjacent property litter/debris abatement--due to overall state and related eradication standards and public performance indicators.
The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
, located nearly equidistant from downtown
Dallas
and downtown Fort Worth
, is the largest airport in the state, the second largest in the United States, and fourth largest in the world.
Texas's second-largest air facility is Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport
(IAH). The airport is the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and nineteenth-busiest worldwide. Houston
is the headquarters of Continental Airlines
, and the airport is Continental Airlines' largest hub, with over 750 daily departures (over 250 operated by Continental Airlines). A long list of cities within Texas, as well as international destinations are served directly from this airport. With 30 destinations in Mexico, IAH offers service to more Mexican destinations than any other U.S. airports. IAH currently ranks second among U.S. airports with scheduled non-stop domestic and international service (221 destinations), trailing only Atlanta
Hartsfield with 250 destinations.
Southwest Airlines
, the largest domestic carrier in the United States began its operations at Dallas Love Field. and is still headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is the largest airline in the United States by number of passengers carried domestically per year and the second largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried.
Some of the other airports that are served by airlines include Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby Airport, San Antonio International Airport
, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
, El Paso International Airport
, Lubbock International Airport, Midland International Airport
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
, and Valley International Airport
in Harlingen, TX.
Part of the state's cowboy legends are based on cattle drives
where livestock
was herded from Texas to railroads in Kansas. The first railroad in Texas completed in 1872, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
, diminished the need for these drives. The desire for the benefits of railroads was so strong that Dallasites paid $5,000 for the Houston and Central Texas Railroad to shift its route through its location, rather than Corsicana
as planned. Since 1911, Texas has led the nation in railroad length. Texas railway mileage peaked in 1932 at 17078 miles (27,484.3 km), but since has dwindled to 14006 miles (22,540.4 km) in 2000. The state's oldest regulatory agency, the Railroad Commission of Texas
, originally regulated the railroads, but in 2005, the state transferred to these duties to TxDOT.
Passenger rail service in Texas is at this moment extremely limited from both network viewpoint (with only three routes) and frequency viewpoint (only daily or tri-weekly service), and is certainly to be considered below par for a developed state.
Currently three Amtrak
trains serve Texas:
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
(DART) is the Dallas area public transportation authority, providing buses, rail, and HOV
lanes. DART began operating the first light rail
system in the Southwest United States in 1996 and continues to expand its coverage. The DART light rail system remained the only one in Texas until METRORail
opened in Houston in 2004.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
(METRO) operates bus
, lift bus, light rail
, and bus rapid transit
service in Harris County
, which includes Houston
. METRO also operates bus service to two cities in Fort Bend County
. METRO began running light rail service (METRORail
) in Houston on January 1, 2004. Currently the track is rather short, running only 8 miles (13 km) from Downtown Houston
to the Texas Medical Center
and Reliant Park
. However, construction begun in 2008 on a 30-mile extension of the light rail system that is planned to be complete by 2012.
VIA Metropolitan Transit
(VIA for short) operates bus service in the San Antonio area. VIA is expected to add bus rapid transit service to the area by 2012.
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(Capital Metro) operates bus service throughout the city of Austin and will add a starter commuter rail line in 2009.
The Brownsville Urban System
operates bus service throughout the city of Brownsville, Texas
.
Although located in the middle of the service areas of DART, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority
, and the Trinity Railway Express
that connects the two, the city of Arlington remains the largest city in the United States that is not served by a public transportation system.
. Ports employ nearly one-million people and handle and average of 317 million metric tons. Texas ports are connected with the rest of the US Atlantic seaboard in the Gulf
section of the Intracoastal Waterway
. Until the deadliest hurricane in US history of 1900
, the state's primary port, was Galveston
. The Port of Houston
replaced Galveston and today is the busiest port in the United States in foreign tonnage, second in overall tonnage, and tenth worldwide tonnage. The Houston Ship Channel
is currently 530 feet (161.5 m) wide by 45 feet (13.7 m) deep by 50 miles (80.5 km) long and continues to be expanded.
of Texas
. The network, as planned, would be composed of a 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) network of supercorridor
s up to 1200 feet (365.8 m) wide to carry parallel links of tollways, rails, and utility
lines. The tollway portion would be divided into two separate elements: truck lanes and lanes for passenger vehicles. Similarly, the rail lines in the corridor would be divided among freight, commuter, and high-speed rail
. The Texas Department of Transportation intends to "charge public and private concerns for utility, commodity or data transmission" within the corridor,
in essence creating a toll road
for services such as water
, electricity
, natural gas
, petroleum
, fiber optic lines
, and other telecommunications services. Governor Rick Perry, hopes the Trans-Texas Corridor will allow passenger vehicular speed limit
s of up to 85 mi/h. The network will be funded by private investors and built and expanded as demand warrants.
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
(TxDOT) is a government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
al agency and its purpose is to "provide safe, effective, and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with maintenance of the state's immense highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
system, the agency is also responsible for aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
in the state and overseeing public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
ation systems.
Highways
Texas T
A Texas T, also called a T-ramp, is a T-shaped highway ramp that combines entrance and exit ramps into a single structure that allows entrance and exit to the left lanes of an expressway...
", an innovation originally introduced in Houston, is a ramp design that allows vehicles in the HOV lane, which is usually the center lane, to exit directly to transit centers or to enter the freeway directly into the HOV lane without crossing multiple lanes of traffic. Timed freeway entrances, which regulate the addition of cars to the freeway, are also common. Houston and San Antonio have extensive networks of freeway cameras linked to transit control centers to monitor and study traffic.
One characteristic of Texas's freeways are its frontage road
Frontage road
A frontage road is a non-limited access road running parallel to a higher-speed road, usually a freeway, and feeding it at appropriate points of access...
s (also known as service roads, feeder roads, and access roads). Texas is the only state that widely constructs frontage/access roads along its highways even in the most remote areas.http://austin.about.com/od/streets/f/frontageroad.htm Frontage roads provide access to the freeway from businesses alongside, such as gas stations and retail stores, and vice versa. Alongside most freeways along with the frontage roads are two to four lanes in each direction parallel to the freeway permitting easy access to individual city streets. A TxDOT policy change now limits the frontage road construction for new highways, but the existing frontage will remain. New landscaping projects and a longstanding ban on new billboards are ways Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
has tried to control the potential side effects of convenience.
Another common characteristic found near Texas overpasses are the Texas U-turn
Texas U-turn
A Texas U-turn, or Texas Turnaround, is a lane allowing cars traveling on one side of a one-way frontage road to U-turn into the opposite frontage road . These are typically controlled by a yield sign, allow traffic to bypass the two traffic signals, and avoid crossing the highway traffic at-grade...
s which is a lane allowing cars traveling on one side of a one-way frontage road to U-turn into the opposite frontage road (typically crossing over or under a freeway or expressway) without being stopped by traffic lights or crossing the highway traffic at-grade.
In March 2011, Texas ranked as a bottom-ten "Worst" state (tied with Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
) in the American State Litter Scorecard, presented at the American Society for Public Administration
American Society for Public Administration
The American Society for Public Administration is a membership association in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of government policy, public administration, and, to a lesser degree, programs of civil society...
national conference. The Lone Star State suffers from poor quality and effectiveness of public space cleanliness--including roadway and adjacent property litter/debris abatement--due to overall state and related eradication standards and public performance indicators.
Airports
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...
, located nearly equidistant from downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
and downtown Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, is the largest airport in the state, the second largest in the United States, and fourth largest in the world.
Texas's second-largest air facility is Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is a Class B international airport in Houston, Texas, serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Located north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and U.S. Highway 59...
(IAH). The airport is the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and nineteenth-busiest worldwide. Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
is the headquarters of Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, and the airport is Continental Airlines' largest hub, with over 750 daily departures (over 250 operated by Continental Airlines). A long list of cities within Texas, as well as international destinations are served directly from this airport. With 30 destinations in Mexico, IAH offers service to more Mexican destinations than any other U.S. airports. IAH currently ranks second among U.S. airports with scheduled non-stop domestic and international service (221 destinations), trailing only Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
Hartsfield with 250 destinations.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
, the largest domestic carrier in the United States began its operations at Dallas Love Field. and is still headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is the largest airline in the United States by number of passengers carried domestically per year and the second largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried.
Some of the other airports that are served by airlines include Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby Airport, San Antonio International Airport
San Antonio International Airport
San Antonio International Airport is a commercial airport in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The airport has three runways and covers . Its elevation is above sea level. SAT is a Class C airport.- Overview :...
, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is a mixed-use commercial airport located southeast of the central business district of Austin, Texas, United States. It covers and has two runways and three helipads.The airport began passenger service on May 23, 1999...
, El Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport is a public airport located four miles northeast of the central business district of the City of El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, USA....
, Lubbock International Airport, Midland International Airport
Midland International Airport
-Top Destinations:-See also:* Texas World War II Army Airfields-References:* Shaw, Frederick J. , Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004....
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
-Cargo:The airport is the largest air cargo handling airport in the Rio Grande Valley.Pan American Airways and World-Wide Consolidated Logistics, Inc. will open cargo service to Latin America in 2011. A TSA Certified Cargo Screening Facility is being established by World-Wide Consolidated...
, and Valley International Airport
Valley International Airport
Valley International Airport is an airport located in northeast Harlingen, Texas, United States. The airport has three runways and is also known as Rio Grande Valley International Airport...
in Harlingen, TX.
Railroads
Part of the state's cowboy legends are based on cattle drives
Cattle drives in the United States
Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the American west, particularly between the years 1866-1886, when 20 million cattle were herded from Texas to railheads in Kansas for shipments to stockyards in Chicago and points east...
where livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
was herded from Texas to railroads in Kansas. The first railroad in Texas completed in 1872, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
, diminished the need for these drives. The desire for the benefits of railroads was so strong that Dallasites paid $5,000 for the Houston and Central Texas Railroad to shift its route through its location, rather than Corsicana
Corsicana, Texas
Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...
as planned. Since 1911, Texas has led the nation in railroad length. Texas railway mileage peaked in 1932 at 17078 miles (27,484.3 km), but since has dwindled to 14006 miles (22,540.4 km) in 2000. The state's oldest regulatory agency, the Railroad Commission of Texas
Railroad Commission of Texas
The Railroad Commission of Texas is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining .Established by the Texas Legislature in 1891, it is the state's oldest regulatory...
, originally regulated the railroads, but in 2005, the state transferred to these duties to TxDOT.
Passenger railroads
Currently three Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
trains serve Texas:
- the daily Texas EagleTexas EagleThe Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles total, three days a week...
connecting Chicago, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
with San Antonio, with three times a week through cars to Los Angeles. Texas stations served by this train are Marshall, LongviewLongview (Amtrak station)The Longview Amtrak station is a train station in Longview, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. It was originally built by the Texas and Pacific Railway....
, MineolaMineola (Amtrak station)The Mineola Amtrak station is a train station in Mineola, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The station was originally built in 1906 by the Texas and Pacific Railway and also used by the Missouri Pacific Railroad...
, Dallas, Fort Worth, CleburneCleburne (Amtrak station)The Cleburne Intermodal Transportation Depot is an Amtrak train station in Cleburne, Texas, United States. According to Amtrak's official website, for many years, Cleburne was the site of a major locomotive backshop of the Santa Fe, and many shop buildings can be seen on the east side of the track...
, McGregorMcGregor (Amtrak station)The McGregor Amtrak station is a train station in McGregor, Texas, United States, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The station was originally built as an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot...
, TempleTemple (Amtrak station)The Temple Amtrak station is a train station in Temple, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The station was originally built as a Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot. East of the station on another railroad line through Temple, a former...
, TaylorTaylor (Amtrak station)The Taylor Amtrak station is a train station in Taylor, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The unstaffed station consists of a small pavilion with picnic tables and shares a plot of land with a Union Pacific Yard Office.Of the 19 Texas stations served by...
, AustinAustin (Amtrak station)The Austin Amtrak station is located in the former station of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, just west of downtown Austin, Texas, United States...
, San Marcos and San AntonioSan Antonio StationSan Antonio Station serves as the Amtrak train station in San Antonio, Texas. It serves two Amtrak lines; the Sunset Limited and the Texas Eagle...
, where through cars are coupled to the Sunset Limited. - the tri-weekly Sunset LimitedSunset LimitedThe Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
, connecting New Orleans, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to Los Angeles, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Texas stations served are BeaumontBeaumont (Amtrak station)Amtrak's Beaumont Station serves Beaumont, Texas via the Sunset Limited service.After the station sustained damage in Hurrican Rita the station building was removed and only a concrete platform was left. A new station is to be constructed, which will utilize $1.2 million in federal stimulus funding...
, HoustonHouston (Amtrak station)The Houston Amtrak station is a train station in Houston, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the U.S. national railroad passenger system.Of the 19 Texas stations served by Amtrak, Houston was the sixth-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 50 passengers daily.The...
and then 190 miles non-stop to San AntonioSan Antonio StationSan Antonio Station serves as the Amtrak train station in San Antonio, Texas. It serves two Amtrak lines; the Sunset Limited and the Texas Eagle...
, where the through cars of the Texas Eagle are coupled. Further west, following Texas localities are served: Del RioDel Rio (Amtrak station)The Del Rio Amtrak station is an intermodal transportation center in Del Rio, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system, as well as by local bus service....
, SandersonSanderson (Amtrak station)The Sanderson Amtrak station is a flag stop train station in Sanderson, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system.Since at least 2007, Sanderson has been the least-used Amtrak stop in its national system...
, AlpineAlpine (Amtrak station)Alpine Station is an Amtrak station in Alpine, Texas on the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle routes. It is not staffed and has partial wheelchair accessibility, an enclosed waiting area, public payphones, and free parking...
and El Paso. - the daily Heartland FlyerHeartland FlyerThe Heartland Flyer is a daily passenger train that follows a 206-mile route between Fort Worth, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Amtrak serves as contractor, initially only for the State of Oklahoma, but now also to the State of Texas....
, from Fort Worth (where it connects to the Texas Eagle) to Oklahoma CityOklahoma cityOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, serving Texas stations: Fort Worth and GainesvilleGainesville, Texas (Amtrak station)The Gainesville Amtrak station is a train station in Gainesville, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system....
.
Mass transportation
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
(DART) is the Dallas area public transportation authority, providing buses, rail, and HOV
HOV
HOV may refer to:* High-occupancy vehicle lane* Ørsta-Volda Airport, Hovden in Hovden, Norway* Hovig* A small street gang located in Naperville* see Hov...
lanes. DART began operating the first light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system in the Southwest United States in 1996 and continues to expand its coverage. The DART light rail system remained the only one in Texas until METRORail
METRORail
METRORail is the light rail line in Houston . It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. With an approximate daily ridership of 34,155, the METRORail ranks as the fourteenth most-traveled light rail system in the United States, with the...
opened in Houston in 2004.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is a major public transportation agency based in Houston . It operates bus, light rail, future commuter rail, and paratransit service in the city as well as most of Harris County...
(METRO) operates bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, lift bus, light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
, and bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
service in Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, which includes Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. METRO also operates bus service to two cities in Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. METRO began running light rail service (METRORail
METRORail
METRORail is the light rail line in Houston . It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. With an approximate daily ridership of 34,155, the METRORail ranks as the fourteenth most-traveled light rail system in the United States, with the...
) in Houston on January 1, 2004. Currently the track is rather short, running only 8 miles (13 km) from Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
to the Texas Medical Center
Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research...
and Reliant Park
Reliant Park
Reliant Park is a complex in Houston, Texas, USA, named after the energy company Reliant Energy. It is located on Kirby Drive at the 610 Loop...
. However, construction begun in 2008 on a 30-mile extension of the light rail system that is planned to be complete by 2012.
VIA Metropolitan Transit
VIA Metropolitan Transit
VIA Metropolitan Transit is the mass transit agency serving San Antonio, Texas. It began operation in 1978 as a successor to the San Antonio Transit System...
(VIA for short) operates bus service in the San Antonio area. VIA is expected to add bus rapid transit service to the area by 2012.
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Capital Metro, is a public transportation provider located in Austin, Texas. It operates bus, paratransit services and a commuter rail/light rail system known as Capital MetroRail for Austin and several suburbs in Travis and Williamson counties...
(Capital Metro) operates bus service throughout the city of Austin and will add a starter commuter rail line in 2009.
The Brownsville Urban System
Brownsville Urban System
The Brownsville Urban System, or "BUS" for short, is a mass transit system based in and serving Brownsville, TX. It is currently the largest mass transit system in the Rio Grande Valley, TX, and is the only mass transit system in Cameron County, TX....
operates bus service throughout the city of Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
.
Although located in the middle of the service areas of DART, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority
Fort Worth Transportation Authority
The Fort Worth Transportation Authority is the operator of the bus system in Fort Worth, Texas and Richland Hills, Texas popularly known as The T...
, and the Trinity Railway Express
Trinity Railway Express
The Trinity Railway Express is a commuter rail line in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority . Each transit authority owns a 50% stake in the joint rail project and...
that connects the two, the city of Arlington remains the largest city in the United States that is not served by a public transportation system.
Ports
Over 1,000 seaports dot Texas's coast with over 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of channelsChannel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
. Ports employ nearly one-million people and handle and average of 317 million metric tons. Texas ports are connected with the rest of the US Atlantic seaboard in the Gulf
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1700 kilometers from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.The waterway provides a channel with a controlling...
section of the Intracoastal Waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...
. Until the deadliest hurricane in US history of 1900
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
, the state's primary port, was Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. The Port of Houston
Port of Houston
The Port of Houston is a port in Houston—the fourth-largest city in the United States. The Port is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico...
replaced Galveston and today is the busiest port in the United States in foreign tonnage, second in overall tonnage, and tenth worldwide tonnage. The Houston Ship Channel
Houston Ship Channel
The Houston Ship Channel, located in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston—one of the United States's busiest seaports. The channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between the Houston-area shipyards and the Gulf of Mexico.-Overview:...
is currently 530 feet (161.5 m) wide by 45 feet (13.7 m) deep by 50 miles (80.5 km) long and continues to be expanded.
Trans-Texas Corridor
The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) is a transportation network in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. stateU.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The network, as planned, would be composed of a 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) network of supercorridor
Supercorridor
A supercorridor is a proposed new type of transportation infrastructure in the United States.A supercorridor uses swaths of land up to 1,200 feet wide to carry parallel links of freeways, rails, and utility lines. The freeway portions are divided into two separate elements: truck lanes and lanes...
s up to 1200 feet (365.8 m) wide to carry parallel links of tollways, rails, and utility
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
lines. The tollway portion would be divided into two separate elements: truck lanes and lanes for passenger vehicles. Similarly, the rail lines in the corridor would be divided among freight, commuter, and high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
. The Texas Department of Transportation intends to "charge public and private concerns for utility, commodity or data transmission" within the corridor,
in essence creating a toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
for services such as water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, fiber optic lines
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
, and other telecommunications services. Governor Rick Perry, hopes the Trans-Texas Corridor will allow passenger vehicular speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
s of up to 85 mi/h. The network will be funded by private investors and built and expanded as demand warrants.
See also
- Transportation in Dallas, Texas
- Airlines of TexasAirlines of TexasAirline firms with certificated air carriers, headquartered, directed and operated from TexasThe following is a list of individual passenger, charter, and cargo airlines - FAA / DOT Certificated Air Carriers, their parent company firms, consortium firms, private equity firms, or other business...
- List of Texas railroads