Letter to the Editor

As a candidate for State Representative and as someone who has spent his career delivering infrastructure and public services I believe taxpayers deserve solutions, not excuses.

During one of the busiest travel periods of the year, TxDOT scheduled maintenance on Interstate 10 near the Trinity River Bridge that has significantly disrupted traffic for Chambers County residents and holiday travelers. Day after day, congestion has intensified, creating prolonged delays for eastbound and westbound traffic. These delays affect working families, emergency response times, and the movement of goods that our regional economy depends on.

This is more than an inconvenience; it reflects a breakdown in coordination and accountability.

Chambers County elected officials and residents raised these concerns repeatedly, seeking reasonable adjustments and better planning. Too often, those concerns were met with assurances rather than action. Effective representation requires advocacy that produces results—especially when local communities are directly impacted.

TxDOT and state leadership should operate under a simple guiding principle: serve the public while minimizing unnecessary disruption to daily life. That requires more than apologies after the fact. It requires clear policy and disciplined execution.

First, Texas should adopt holiday construction blackout windows on major evacuation routes and interstate corridors like I-10, limiting non-emergency lane closures during peak travel periods. Texans plan their lives and businesses around these corridors, and the state should plan accordingly.

Second, TxDOT should be required to formally coordinate with local governments before scheduling major maintenance or lane closures. Local officials understand traffic patterns, school calendars, emergency access needs, and regional commerce in ways the state cannot from Austin. Mandatory coordination would allow impacts to be identified early and mitigated before they become daily gridlock.

Local governments have already stepped up where the system has fallen short. Chambers County and regional partners invested local resources to study practical solutions, including ramp reversals to improve east-west traffic flow. These efforts should be met with collaboration, not dismissal. Infrastructure works best when those closest to the problem are part of the solution.

Good governance is not about protecting systems; it is about delivering outcomes. When regulations create more harm than benefit, they should be reviewed and improved. Infrastructure must serve the people who rely on it—not the convenience of bureaucracy.

We do not need campaign slogans. We need leadership grounded in experience and results leaders willing to challenge outdated practices, demand coordination, and put the public interest first.

Respectfully,

Nathan Watkins 
Candidate for State Representative 
House District 23