Widening part of Texas 42 in Gregg County from two to four lanes is part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2023 Unified Transportation Program. Also announced was $2.7 billion designated for Tyler District improvements.

The master plan for the state’s transportation system over the next decade is a win for Northeast Texas, with major projects such as widening a section of Interstate 20. But there’s no guarantee all the projects on the 2023 Unified Transportation Program list will be funded.

This year’s UTP involves a record $85 billion in projects, which is an “unprecedented level of projected transportation funding” aimed at improving safety and addressing congestion and rural connectivity, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

A large focus of this year’s plan is boosting transportation in rural areas — and that includes a majority of Northeast Texas.

“(TxDOT is) working hard to make sure every region of the state stays connected. That’s why we’re dedicating more than $12.2 billion to statewide connectivity projects to upgrade interstates and other major rural highways over the next 10 years via the 2023 UTP,” said Texas Transportation Commissioners Alvin New. “Since fiscal year 2015, we’ve completed more than 258 rural connectivity projects — an investment of $7.7 billion. And we have another 120 projects — $7 billion worth — currently under construction.”

New added that TxDOT will invest “an historic level” of about $14 billion in rural areas during the next decade as part of the 2023 UTP, which is a 600% increase in planned rural funding compared with seven years ago.

We’re glad that Austin is finally realizing the importance of rural infrastructure — not only for the Texans who live in those areas but for the ways those roads are vital to the state’s economy as a whole.

TxDOT divides areas into districts, while Northeast Texas is primarily in the Tyler and Atlanta districts. Gregg and Smith counties are in TxDOT’s Tyler district, which also includes the counties of Anderson, Cherokee, Henderson, Van Zandt and Wood. The Atlanta district includes the counties of Harrison, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Marion, Morris, Panola, Titus and Upshur.

The project with the biggest price tag in those two districts is a plan to widen I-20 from four lanes to six between FM 450 in Hallsville and Texas 43 in Marshall. That has an estimated construction cost of $228.48 million.

Other highlights in the 2023 UTP from TxDOT’s Tyler and Atlanta districts:

Widening part of U.S. 175 in Cherokee County from two to four lanes;

Reconfiguring the interchange of I-20 with Texas 31 and U.S. 259 in Kilgore;

Widening part of Texas 42 in Gregg County from two to four lanes;

Widening FM 2493 in Smith County.

Building the Loop 390/U.S. 59 relief route for what will be I-369 in Harrison County;

Widening U.S. 82 in Bowie County;

Widening Texas 315 in Panola County; and

Widening U.S. 271 north of Mount Pleasant in Titus County.

In total, projects in the two Northeast Texas districts total a whopping $1.66 billion over the next decade.

That’s great news for the motorists who frequent these roads as well as truckers and others who use them for commerce.

The caveat? As TxDOT makes clear in describing the Unified Transportation Program: “It’s neither a budget nor a guarantee that projects will or can be built.”

In other words, funding must be found, and since the projects in the program are mostly funded through a combination of money from the state and federal government, nothing is for sure.

Still, we’re hopeful that the state’s long-term plan for its transportation system isn’t just paved with good intentions.