Planning & Development
Transportation: Major Thoroughfare & Freeway Plan (MTFP)
Annually, the City produces the Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP). In compiling the MTFP, the City listens to developers and neighborhoods about such issues as congestion, mobility and future development plans. In that plan, the city identifies sections of roadways (either thoroughfares or major collectors) that are in need of expansion, either by lengthening or widening. The plan serves as notice to the public for developing land adjacent to the identified roads.
The plan does not address the construction schedule for roadway projects. Inquiries about roadway construction should be directed to Houston Public Works.
2025 Planning Commission (PC) Action
2025 MTFP & Transit Corridor Street Hierarchy Classification Table
Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan Minimum Right-of-Way Width by Street Classification
MTFP Policy Statement (amended December 2024)
MTFP Terminology (published December 2024)
Street Hierarchy System
Ever wonder how the City decides which roads to widen, how to set speed limits, and how to set building setbacks? The answer is a Street Hierarchy System.
The system uses several factors to classify streets into one of four categories:
- Length of road
- Existing and projected traffic volume
- Character of adjacent properties
- Possibility of expansion, including manmade and natural barriers
- Need to preserve thoroughfare corridors
- Classifications and descriptions
Descriptions
Major Thoroughfares are divided into two classifications; Principal Thoroughfare and Thoroughfare. Major Thoroughfares are those streets designed for fast, heavy traffic, and are intended to serve as traffic arteries of considerable length and continuity throughout the community. The location of these streets is based on a grid system covering the area within the City’s jurisdiction, which provides a theoretical spacing of Major Thoroughfares at one mile intervals.
Transit Corridor Streets are a rights-of-way or easements that METRO has proposed as a route for a guided rapid transit or fixed guideway transit system and that is included on the City’s MTFP. |
Collector Streets are public streets that accumulate traffic from local streets for distribution to the Major Thoroughfare streets. A Collector Street may be a Minor Collector or a Major Collector. Collectors Streets are designed to provide a greater balance between mobility and land access within residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
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Local Street are public streets that provide access to individual single-family residential lots, provide entry and exit to the neighborhood, and provide connectivity to collectors and thoroughfares. In short, all other streets not previously listed are considered local streets that function to provide access from individual properties to the thoroughfare network. |
Transportation: 2026 MTFP Amendment Requests
The Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan is updated annually through a process that begins in January and ends in September with City Council approval of the updated plan. The new map is then posted to the Planning and Development Department webpage when the updates have been completed.
Timeline and Process
- Mandatory pre-submittal conference with staff - January 6, 2026 to February 20, 2026
- Application submittal period - January 5, 2026 to March 6, 2026
- Public comment period - May 14, 2026 to July 23, 2026
2026 MTFP Schedule
- May 14 - MTFP Workshop - Planning Commission Meeting - In-Person Only - 1:00 p.m. in City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby Street, Public Level
- June 10 - MTFP Open House 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Virtual Meeting Only
- July 23 - MTFP Public Hearing - Planning Commission Meeting - In-Person Only - 1:00 p.m. in City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby Street, Public Level
- August 20 - MTFP Application Update - Planning Commission Meeting - In-Person Only - 1:00 p.m. in City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby Street, Public Level
- September 3 - MTFP Recommendation Meeting - Planning Commission Meeting - In-Person Only - 1:00 p.m. in City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby Street, Public Level
2026 MTFP Meeting Information
MTFP Application - The MTFP Amendment Application will be accepted from January 5, 2026, to March 6, 2026 at 5pm. Potential applicants must have a pre-submittal meeting with staff before applying. To schedule a pre-submittal meeting please contact the Transportation Planning Division at mobility.planning@houstontx.gov or 832.393.6528.
The public may address the Planning Commission on MTFP agenda items. The public comment period for the MTFP will be open from May 14, 2026 to July 23, 2026. During this time, the public may submit comments in any of the following ways below. All comments are made part of the public meeting record.
- Submit comments on an item via email to mobility.planning@houstontx.gov.
- You may also call the Planning Department at 832.393.6528. A staff member will take your comments, which will be included in the public record.
- An online public comment form will be available during the comment period.
- Speakers will be called on in the order of sign up and can speak for up to five minutes, as announced
Exhibits
If you have materials or graphic information for the Planning Commission to consider, submit it via email to mobility.planning@houstontx.gov 24 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting for it to be included in the final agenda packet.
Additional Resources
P&D Office - 611 Walker
Contact P&D Dept
611 Walker, 6th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 832.393.6600
planningdepartment@houstontx.gov
