Transportation Infrastructure

Transportation infrastructure provides the vital framework for commerce in any region, moving goods and services between markets and allowing labor, often in rural communities, to reach centers of commerce and industry. The West Central Texas region is fortunate to have a mature, intermodal transportation infrastructure that includes a mature and robust roadway system, vital public transportation, high capacity rail systems, and pervasive airport coverage. Additional funding, however, is needed to maintain and improve the infrastructure, including resurfacing of some roadways and expansion of public transportation hours and routes in the region.

Roadway System

Interstate Highway 20 (IH 20) bisects the region, crossing five of the region's 19 counties, Mitchell, Nolan, Taylor, Callahan, and Eastland, on an east/west route. IH 20 is a significant transportation corridor that connects Midland-Odessa, an epicenter for oil and gas production in Texas, with Dallas-Fort Worth, a major national transportation and logistics hub. In addition to IH 20, the region boasts a strong network of highways which intersect throughout the region providing safe, convenient access to residents and business.

Increases in traffic tied to the boom in oil and natural gas production during the past decade, however, has taxed the region's road system and challenged local communities to maintain the integrity of road infrastructure, often with insufficient resources. The impact is particularly profound for the region's municipal and county road systems. Municipalities and county governments typically do not garner sufficient tax revenue in communities from increased production activities, to offset the cost to maintain road conditions and ensure public safety.

Integral to transportation and the labor force, the commuting patterns for the region is included for perspective. It is vital to determine the commute both into and from the local counties. The Net Gain or Loss of the Labor Force illustrates the transportation patterns but also illuminates potential effect on the sales tax base of each of the counties.

Public Transportation

Public transportation is provided through four local transportation providers.

The Central Texas Rural Transit operates in Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, Nolan, Runnels, Shackelford, Stephens and Taylor counties. Transportation is only provided Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Double Mountain Coach provides services in Fisher, Haskell, Jones, Kent, Knox, Stonewall and Throckmorton. Medical transportation services are provided in these counties six days each week; nonmedical transportation is provided Monday through Friday during normal business hours only.
The South Plains Community Action Association SPARTAN transportation provides transportation to medical and rural public transportation during weekdays.
The Abilene CityLink transportation program offers a fixed route transportation and American with Disabilities Act para-transit service, Mondays through Saturdays for 12 hours daily. CityLink offers the only Demand-Response evening service in the region; however it is limited to City of Abilene incorporated limits. This service is available through 11:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Additional transportation fixed route and demand response transportation is needed across the region. Review of the commuter patterns and commuter demographics in the area portray a need to have effective multi-passenger transportation from outlying counties into the larger cities.

Airports

The largest airport in the West Central Texas region is the Abilene Regional Airport. Most operations at the airport are general aviation and military training - according to SkyVector, in 2015 the airport operated 289 commercial operations, 17,482 military operations, 9,270 air taxi operations, and 27,559 general aviation operations. Abilene Regional is currently served by one airline, Envoy Air operating as American Eagle, with eight (8) daily Embraer regional jet flights to Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW). Charter air carriers such as Sun Country Airlines continue to operate flights on an occasional basis. Abilene Regional is also home to Eagle Aviation Services, Inc., which is a heavy-maintenance base for all American Eagle aircraft, and acts as an aircraft boneyard for American Eagle, which stores around 20 retired aircraft at the airport. Texas State Technical College also utilizes the airport to provides aviation maintenance training.

Airports are abundant throughout the region. The airports and fields include the Abilene Regional Airport, Albany Municipal Airport, Stonewall County Airport, Bruce Fields, Stephens County Airport, Brownwood Regional Airport, Coleman Municipal Airport, Colorado City Airport, Comanche County-City Airport, Eastland Municipal Airport, Hamlin Municipal Airport, Harrison Field of Knox City, Ranger Municipal, Fisher County, Arledge Field in Stamford, Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Taylor Municipal Airport, Throckmorton Municipal Airport, City of Ballinger Airport, and the Winters Municipal Airport. The Abilene Municipal Airport is the largest in the region and is served by American Eagle Airlines.

Rail

Four railways travel through the West Central Texas region providing additional transportation capability. The Union Pacific, Texas Pacifico Transportation, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), and Fort Worth Western Railroad all provide rail transit through the majority of the 19 counties.

Union Pacific operates a vital east-west railway that tracks closely to IH 20, connecting Midland-Odessa and Dallas-Fort Worth. The railway is a vital commercial artery that supports the significant oil and gas production activities in the Permian Basin. The Union Pacific railway passes through Eastland, Baird, Abilene, Sweetwater, Colorado City, and Big Spring. Southern Switching Company ("SSC") operates a shortline railroad that interchanges with the Union Pacific in downtown Abilene. SSC operates 8.5 miles of railroad within the city of Abilene.
BNSF provides a critical transportation route that crosses the region, connecting Lubbock with the port city of Houston. The BNSF railway passes through Snyder, Sweetwater, Coleman, and Brownwood.
Texas Pacifico operates a railway that connects to the BNSF railway between Coleman and Brownwood, and connects the region to Chihuahua Mexico through Presidio County along the Texas Border. The railway has a limited footprint in the region, but does cross through Ballinger in Runnels County.
The Fort Worth Western Railroad railway also connects with the BNSF railway, but east of Brownwood, connecting it with Fort Worth. The railway has a limited footprint in the county, passing through only one significant municipality, Comanche. The Fort Worth Western Railroad railway connection with BNSF and Texas Pacifico creates a viable trade route between western Mexico and the Dallas-Fort Worth transportation and logistics hub.