The Texas Department of Transportation, (TxDOT) reported a $3 billion dollar difference from last year's finances for commuters across Texas. This significant fluctuation has been attributed to a variety of factors, including impacts of the pandemic and ongoing transportation improvement projects.

Firstly, it's essential to consider the role that road congestion plays in these financial calculations. According to KSST Radio, much of the summation of finances is due to less road congestion. TxDOT Executive director Marc Williams spoke on this, saying, "As we would expect, nearly all of the 100 most congested road segments are in the state's largest urban areas." Urban areas most affected include Dallas, Fort-Worth, San Antonio and Austin.

Moving on from urban congestion alone, there were also key factors linked to commuter behaviors and fuel costs. According to Texas Department of Transportation, these statistics were from commuters across Texas and average fuel costs. It's estimated that compared to 2019, traffic delays were 23% lower. It's not certain however these facts were because of better transportation coverage. Many other factors include pandemic-related factors, as well as a heavier reliance on delivered goods in communities.

The final piece of the puzzle involves looking at specific initiatives aimed at addressing congestion problems in Texas. According to the Texas Clear Lanes project mentioned in the article from TxDOT, congestion in Texas has become a major issue over the years. The Texas Clear Lanes project is focused on lessening congestion through major areas of Texas. An estimated 3.3 billion gallons of gas was wasted during traffic congestion last year. Not to mention commuters have on average lost 54 hours due to traffic congestion.