City Approves Land Vacations to Expand Ottis Road Near I-20

TxDOT aims to ease one-way frontage traffic with new east-west package road

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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The city of Midland has approved the vacation and abandonment of two parcels of land totaling 0.595 acres to expand Ottis Road near Interstate 20. The land, owned by Melanie Martinez, is no longer needed and will be used to create a new right-of-way for an east-west package road that will help ease one-way frontage traffic in the area as TxDOT moves forward with construction.

Why it matters

The expansion of Ottis Road and the creation of a new east-west package road will help improve traffic flow and accessibility in the region around I-20, which has seen its frontage roads converted from two-way to one-way traffic. This project is part of TxDOT's efforts to address transportation challenges in the area.

The details

The city approved the vacation of two parcels of land - 0.414 acres and 0.181 acres - owned by Melanie Martinez. The land will be used to expand Ottis Road, which intersects Industrial Loop West. The new east-west package road will give constituents a better way to get back and forth now that the service roads on the north side of I-20 have been converted from two-way to one-way.

  • On February 16, 2026, the city of Midland approved the land vacations.
  • TxDOT aims to move forward with construction on the new package road in the near future.

The players

Melanie Martinez

The owner of the two parcels of land being vacated, totaling 0.595 acres.

Dunaway Associates

The firm working with Melanie Martinez to relinquish the land for the Ottis Road expansion.

Jose Ortiz

The Assistant City Manager of Midland who discussed the benefits of the Ottis Road expansion and new package road.

TxDOT

The Texas Department of Transportation, which is moving forward with construction on the new east-west package road to address traffic flow issues caused by the conversion of frontage roads to one-way traffic.

Endeavor Energy Resources

The owner of a 1.078-acre tract that is being dedicated as part of the conditional approval of the 0.414-acre land vacation.

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What they’re saying

“This will help that two-way traffic flow in that region (and) the north and south vacation of that right-of-way. There's no benefit to having that right-of-way anymore, so it makes sense for us to vacate this portion here so that we can secure the east-west portion.”

— Jose Ortiz, Assistant City Manager (mrt.com)

What’s next

TxDOT aims to move forward with construction on the new east-west package road in the near future to help ease one-way frontage traffic in the area around Interstate 20.

The takeaway

The city's approval of land vacations to expand Ottis Road is a key step in TxDOT's efforts to address transportation challenges in the region by creating a new east-west package road. This project will help improve traffic flow and accessibility for constituents in the area affected by the conversion of frontage roads to one-way traffic.