The Texas Highway Commission approved Thursday $25.2 million of Proposition 12 Rehabilitation funds to be used in Ellis County. The funds will be used to resurface lanes and ramps on Interstate Highway 35 from US 77 south of Waxahachie to approximately one mile north of Johnston Road.

County Judge Carol Bush and Ron Brown, Precinct 4 Commissioner, worked diligently with Representative Jim Pitts and other state and regional leaders to obtain Proposition 12 funds for Ellis County road improvements. Proposition 12 was a bond package approved by voters in 2007.

“We are extremely pleased the Highway Commission has approved funding for this portion of IH 35,” said Bush. “We look forward to working with them in the future on funding to complete the rest of IH35 within Ellis County.” Bush, a member of the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, actively promoted and continues to endorse the need to bring state funds to critical projects in Ellis County.

Brown, the longest serving member of the Regional Transportation Committee, represents both Ellis and Kaufman Counties. Through his efforts the two counties received a total of roughly 30% of the Proposition 12 dollars allocated to our region. “We are happy to have received such a generous proportion of the region’s Prop 12 allocations,” said Brown, “and look forward to working closely with the commission and district engineer to obtain future funding to complete six lanes through our county”.

Eight hundred fifty projects were submitted for funding statewide. Projects were divided into one of three categories. Corridors of statewide significance were recommended based on traffic density and crash rates. Rehabilitation and safety projects were recommended for funding based on pavement improvement index and safety improvement index. Mobility projects were recommended based on the amount of delay reduced and their correlation to the “Top 100 Most Congested Segments of Roadway.”

“The dollars have been approved through Austin, the Local Area Office will place the job on a bid schedule and it will be bid by early 2010,” said County Planner Barbra Leftwich.