Just two months after stepping into his new role, the Texas Department of Transportation’s Houston District Engineer, Glenn Allbritton, P.E. joined the NHA membership for a welcome reception and transportation briefing on February 5th. As District Engineer, Allbritton is responsible for overseeing the planning, designing, building, operation and maintenance of the state transportation system for the six counties in the Houston District.
The briefing began with a conversation between NHA Board Chair Kim Sachtleben, P.E., and Allbritton where she asked about his top three priorities for leading the Houston district after coming from Abilene. First on his list was a strong focus on safety—both for employees and the public, which should come as no surprise. Between the “Move Over/Slow Down”, “Share the Road” or “Don’t Text and Drive”
initiatives and the now daily emails employees receive with safety statistics and messages, including information about fatalities on TxDOT roads, safety is at top of mind for all who work at TxDOT. Second, Allbritton emphasized his plan to streamline the process for submitting and reviewing plans within the organization. “The process is too long, and it’s not efficient, so we’re working on fixing that,” says Allrbitton. The third focus he expressed was his goal to enhance the district’s ability to handle more in-house maintenance, which currently covers only about 20% of the total maintenance needs.
As the conversation continued, Allbritton shared some significant changes he witnessed with his over 26 years of experience within the organization. He mentioned that as they continued to grow the approach to public engagement and education was adapted to provide more options for feedback and input from the public. “Our process to public engagement is become more comprehensive and interactive than it ever was in the past,” Allbritton shared. He also mentioned that the introduction of custom dashboards has greatly improved access to specific data and project information, making internal processes more efficient. That being said, Allbritton still highlighted some of the differences between TxDOT’s Abilene and Houston districts and how they function, particularly in terms of size. During his time in Abilene, Allbritton played a key role in establishing a Rural Planning Organization (RPO) which differs from the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Houston region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in not only scope of geographical needs, but population size and sometimes funding opportunities. What they don’t differ on is the need for cross organization collaboration. Glenn explained that collaborating with local partners across multiple counties reinforced the importance of adopting a regional mindset, rather than focusing solely on individual areas.
With his transition into the role of Houston District Engineer, Allbritton brings a wealth of experience and a clear vision for the future that reflects his commitment to improving the district’s operations and effectiveness. Well-equipped to navigate the evolving challenges of a large and complex district like Houston, his insights into the importance of public engagement, data-driven decision-making, and regional collaboration demonstrate his forward-thinking approach to transportation management. As he continues to build upon his past successes and adapt to the needs of the Houston area, Allbritton’s leadership is poised to make a lasting impact on the region’s transportation system.
