| (a) To secure approval of a project, an applicant must file an application with the department's executive director or his or her designee who shall serve as department liaison for the project. The application shall be in a form prescribed by the department, and must be accompanied by the following items: (1) preliminary studies and the record and analysis of public involvement completed in accordance with §27.32 of this title (relating to Preliminary Studies); (2) an analysis of project impact, which must include the following: (A) integration with the state highway system and, if located within the jurisdiction of a metropolitan planning organization in an urbanized area, certification from that organization that the project is compatible with the existing regional transportation plan; (B) economic impact based on a study assessing the potential impact of the project on the economy
of the region in which the project is to be located, including the economies of each county in which the project is to be located and of the municipalities within those counties; and (C) impact on trade with Mexico, consisting of an assessment of the potential impact of the project on the free flow of trade between the Republic of Mexico and the State of Texas with respect to a project located in whole or in part in a county adjacent to the border between the state and the Republic of Mexico, or in a county adjacent to such a county. (b) If the department finds that the initial application meets the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, and that the preliminary design is in compliance with the design manuals, it shall notify the applicant of its findings and shall conduct one or more public hearings to receive public comment on the proposed project; and, subsequent to the public hearings, it shall submit the application together with
its findings and recommendations to the commission for appropriate action.
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