Texas Department of Transportation

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT, pronounced "tex-dot") is a government agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense highway system, the agency is also responsible for overseeing aviation,rail, and public transportation systems in the state.

At one time, TxDOT also administered vehicle registration; but this function transferred to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, a newly created state agency which began operations in November 2009.

The agency has been headquartered in the Dewitt C. Greer Building at 125 East 11th Street in downtown Austin, Texas, since 1933.

History

The Texas Legislature created the Texas Highway Department in 1971 to administer federal highway construction and maintenance. In 1975, its responsibilities increased when the agency merged with the Texas Mass Transportation Commission, to form the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation.

Texas

Texas /ˈtɛksəs/ (Spanish: Texas or Tejas [ˈtexas]) is a state in the United States of America. It is the second most populous and second largest state by area in the US. Geographically located in the south central part of the country, Texas shares an international border with Mexico to the south and borders the states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km²) and a growing population of over 27.5 million residents (July 2015).

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest United States metropolitan statistical areas, respectively. Other major cities include Austin (the state capital) and El Paso. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texan state flag and on the Texan state seal. The origin of the state name, Texas, is from the word, "Tejas", which means 'friends' in the Caddo language.

Department of transportation

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel and is a federal agency. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have similar organizations and provide enforcement through DOT officers within their respective jurisdictions.

List of U.S. state and insular area departments of transportation