TXAPA Invests in East Texas and Wins

Over the past year, TXAPA has extended its statewide network through a growing team of regional directors focused on building direct, ongoing relationships with TxDOT districts, local agencies, and industry partners across the state.

For East Texas Regional Director Dennis Turner, based in the Houston area, that work has meant becoming a familiar presence in one of the state’s largest and most complex markets.

Turner has taken over leadership of the quarterly working group with the Houston District’s construction office—started last year by TXAPA Director of Special Projects Larry Peirce—which has grown into a quarterly training program. The first session drew over 50 attendees representing the district’s design, construction, maintenance, and area offices.

Partners in Quality (PIQ) meetings have grown across the region, too. A joint Houston-Beaumont PIQ drew more than 100 attendees, followed by a joint PIQ with the Lufkin, Tyler, and Atlanta districts. The Yoakum and Bryan District PIQs are planned for this fall.

On the local agency side, Turner attended all four 2026 MAPS Conferences and presented at three of them, bringing technical guidance directly to the cities, counties, consultants, and contractors who make up much of the region’s paving market.

Leveraging the momentum from the MAPS Conferences, Turner has built a regular schedule of lunch-and learns aimed at helping local agencies and consultants scope, specify, and monitor asphalt projects with more confidence. That outreach is changing the market’s trajectory.

“Harris County, the City of Houston, and Houston METRO are collectively delivering one of the region’s largest asphalt paving programs,” Turner said.

He also points to fast-growing counties like Brazoria, Montgomery, and Waller, where thicker, appropriately designed asphalt sections are increasingly the standard for major thoroughfares.

Turner highlights speed of construction and ride quality as asphalt’s clearest advantages in a market where long construction timelines take a real toll on commuters. Asphalt projects can stage construction without shutting down lanes for weeks at a time, finish sooner, and be repaired quickly if problems come up later.

TXAPA’s East Texas presence has also grown through new partnerships, including a joint workshop with the Texas Council of Engineering Laboratories that drew some 150 attendees in Houston. Turner and Peirce will both present this fall at ASCE’s CECON and at TACERA. TXAPA will also have booths at the APWA, Texas Municipal League, and County Judges and Commissioners conferences.

Turner’s packed schedule since stepping into the role in January is a testament to how needed a regional presence is. That same momentum carries over into Road Maps, the podcast arm of the MAPS Program. Launched earlier this year, Road Maps has become a go-to resource, with Turner and Peirce turning specifications, mix types, and QC/QA best practices into conversations that are useful and easy to listen to. A run of new episodes is already lined up, covering project scoping, the responsible use of recycled asphalt pavement, and surface prep.

“It’s been well received,” Turner said. “It’s really about being an advocate for our industry.”