Press Release

Congressman Cuellar Announces New Federal Funding to Help Complete More than $35 Million Worth of Wilson County Highway Projects

Money authorized under the new federal highway bill will help fund Wilson County transportation projects

Washington, December 11, 2015 | Rafael Benavides ((956) 725-0639)
Today Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) announced that under the newly passed and signed five-year federal highway authorization bill, new money would be made available for $35,572,967 worth of transportation projects in Wilson County. Wilson County is also partially represented by another representative. A full list of these projects can be found in the attached document labeled Funding and Projects provided by the Texas Department of Transportation.

“I am pleased to announce these additional funds for Wilson County road projects,” Congressman Cuellar said. “Thanks to the federal highway bill, Texas is estimated to receive more than $18 billion over the next five years. That is $2 billion more than provided under current funding levels. The Wilson County road projects will include work on SL 181, FM 541, FM 536, FM 2772, FM 775 and US 181, all local roads used daily by both Wilson County residents and travelers. These road improvement projects will help the commuting experience for local residents and enhance the flow of commercial traffic through the county.

“Since 2000, the population of Wilson County has increased from 32,408 to approximately 46,502, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a population increase of 43 percent. This, along with the energy sector activities, has led to a boom in traffic that slows down private vehicle traffic as well as the commercial traffic that drives the county’s economy. This is why the new federal highway authorization legislation is so vitally important to Wilson County.”

The federal highway authorization bill was passed last week by both the House and Senate with resounding majorities. The bipartisan legislation was the first long-term highway authorization bill to be passed by Congress since MAP-21 in 2012.