DALLAS, TX — The U.S. Department of Transportation has determined the Metropolitan Transportation Plan approved by the Regional Transportation Council in June conforms with federal air quality regulations, allowing current and future multimodal improvements in the long-range plan to move forward.

A conformity determination is required because 10 Dallas-Fort Worth area counties are in nonattainment for ozone pollution and are working to meet federal standards for ozone pollution.

Among the projects that may now proceed are the US Highway 75 technology lanes and US 380 in Collin County on the eastern side of the region. On the western side, North Tarrant Express (Interstate Highway 820 and State Highway183), between IH 35W and SH 121, may advance. Programs pursuing broadband connectivity and advancing safety and technology solutions may also continue.

The $148.3 billion Mobility 2045: 2022 Update makes recommendations for transportation improvements over the next 20-plus years through policies, programs, and projects designed to improve regional air quality and mobility, and increase efficiency, safety, and system capacity.

Long-range transportation plans such as Mobility 2045 are federally required to be updated at least every four years. Mobility 2045 was originally adopted in 2018. Since then, planners have continued to refine policy, program, and project recommendations for the 2022 Update. This plan’s financial analysis considers capital, operations, and maintenance costs associated with the existing transportation system, as well as the costs associated with the recommended improvements.

The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) may also proceed, according to the Department of Transportation. The TIP is a multiyear list of projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area approved for federal, state, and local funding. The program identifies roadway and transit projects programed for construction within the next four years.