Program to bring new truck plaza to SH 130

Around $22,942,500 of federal funds are slated for a new commercial truck parking plaza in the northwest quadrant of SH 130 and SH 80 intersection.

The funding is from the Biden-Harris administration’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program which is expected to fund over $2.2 billion in projects nationwide.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced Wednesday that the Biden-Harris administration approved six different infrastructure programs across Texas totaling $97,178,763 from the RAISE discretionary grant program.

The new advanced commercial truck travel plaza will provide safe parking for drivers and decrease crashes and fatalities involving trucks parked in unauthorized locations. The plaza will have 20 short-term parking spaces and 100 long-term parking spaces, lighting, fencing, a rest stop with restrooms, showers and amenities and 24-hour monitored security.

Director of Public Affairs at the SH 130 Concession Company James Lovett said they are in the early stages of this project.

“Earlier this year, we had conversations with Caldwell County about applying for this U.S. Department of Transportation grant. The county was interested. The county, just like SH 130 Concession Company, recognizes that there is a need for additional truck parking capacity. We’re seeing an increase in the number of freight vehicles moving up the corridor,” Lovett said.

He said that the lack of truck parking is not just a local issue, but a nationwide problem.

“It’s something that the state has identified as an issue. The Department of Transportation has identified this as an issue in Texas, so this project will provide commercial drivers with a first class facility to rest, recharge and improve the safety in this increasingly important freight corridor. There are issues with trucks parking in unauthorized areas across Texas, but also specifically in Caldwell County across the SH 130 Corridor. We recognized that there was an opportunity to help provide some relief,” Lovett said.

He said this will be a first class facility upon completion.

“It will have short and long term spaces. It will have lighting, fencing and a lot of safety features that truck drivers really value,” Lovett said. “We’re really excited about that.”

Lovett elaborated on the next steps in the development process. “We put in the application, and we have some pretty big goals and ideas about what this could be and really making this a flagship place,” Lovett said. “This is just the first in a long process with our partners at Caldwell County and The Department of Transportation, and there are going to be agreements that are put in place. The project was selected, so now the county will have agreements with USDOT, [and] we will have agreements with the county on how to make this project a reality.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg elaborated on the purpose of the six infrastructure projects that were approved recently, the SH 130 project among them.

“Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” said Buttigieg.

“This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain, and more.”