A stretch of I-10 West in the Katy area is moving closer to construction under a $138 billion state transportation plan Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday, Aug. 27.
The segment from Mason Road to FM 359 is listed as a Houston District priority in the 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP). Project development is "actively progressing to meet planned bidding schedules," Community Impact reported, citing the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
No specific bidding date or dollar amount for the Mason Road–FM 359 project has been released. TxDOT's Houston District is using project development funding to advance the work and position it for bidding when funding becomes available, according to the UTP.
The 10-year program, approved during an August meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission, splits $138 billion into $95 billion for transportation projects statewide and $43 billion for routine maintenance and development, according to the governor's office.
"This $138 billion investment will strengthen our roadways, reduce congestion, improve safety, and support growing communities across Texas," Abbott said in the announcement.
Growth and congestion
Fulshear, at the western end of the corridor, more than doubled its population since the 2020 census, according to a September 2025 Community Impact report on local road projects. That growth has made I-10 one of the most congested highways in the state.
The corridor is among the state's worst. The stretch from Grand Parkway to North Eldridge Parkway alone cost drivers 3.63 million hours and $99.1 million in wasted time and fuel in 2024, according to a Texas A&M Transportation Institute study cited in the same report.
Katy City Administrator Byron Hebert told Community Impact in September 2025 that the city's top priority was "mobility, and it's getting people through the city because of all the growth that's happening."
Adjacent I-10 work
The UTP project picks up where a separate TxDOT effort leaves off. A planned widening of I-10 from Snake Creek to Mason Road was anticipated to be bid in 2027 and would expand the road from six lanes to 10, according to Fort Bend County project documents cited in the September 2025 report. That bidding timeline has not been publicly updated.
The UTP also includes capacity and resiliency improvements to I-10 at the San Jacinto River, east of Houston. Those upgrades include measures to reduce risks from past barge strikes, according to the TxDOT announcement.
The 2027 UTP targets roadway segments on Texas' 100 Most Congested Roadways list, according to the governor's office. Those roads cost commuters nearly $15 billion statewide in 2024, with more than 523 million wasted hours, according to Construction Dive.
No public meeting or comment deadline for the Mason Road–FM 359 project has been announced.
