How many times have you sat in traffic, fuming and wishing you could do something about the interminable line of cars to get through a light?

You’ll have a chance in the Nov. 2 election. Tarrant County is asking voters to approve $400 million in bonds for transportation projects, along with a second proposition to authorize $116 million for a new facility for the district attorney’s office. We recommend “yes” votes on both.

The road bonds will be a small step toward fulfilling the many infrastructure needs of a booming area, but it’s a sensible one.

The bonds would pair much of the county’s investment with matching money from cities or other entities, creating a pool of money that would allow for significant projects to improve mobility around the area. About half has been loosely designated to specific projects so far, while the other half would go to broader regional projects and specific needs within county commissioners’ precincts.

And it will do so without adding significantly to the tax burden. County officials pledge they wouldn’t sell the bonds unless able to pay them back without a tax-rate increase. Of course, homeowners and businesses often pay more because property appraisals rise even when tax rates are unchanged.

But the county is a small portion of your tax bill, and leaders have been judicious about spending. Tarrant County hasn’t issued road-construction bonds since 2006.

The list of proposed projects for the nearly $200 million of county-city construction includes some of the area’s biggest needs and frustrating exchanges or traffic choke points: Avondale Haslet Road in north Fort Worth, Randol Mill Road in Arlington, Cheek-Sparger Road in Colleyville.

If you’ve driven in these areas, we don’t have to tell you that infrastructure hasn’t kept up with population. But sometimes, we become numb to the rapid growth of Tarrant County and Dallas-Fort Worth overall: We added 16.7% more people in just the decade between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. Fort Worth will soon be among the nation’s 10-largest cities. And as County Judge Glen Whitley notes, the size of the county has nearly doubled in the last 30 years.

While the bond package targets current needs, Whitley said officials are anticipating future growth, too, in deciding how to spend the money. In particular, western Tarrant County is already booming and could see even more growth if Fort Worth lands a big proposed electric vehicle factory. Whitley said bond funds would be used to partner with regional transportation agencies to keep up with growth in the Benbrook area and the Walsh development on the county’s western edge.

If it’s hard to get voters excited about road projects, it’s an easy sell compared to building a new office facility. But just as growth has driven the need for more roads, the district attorney’s office is bigger than it used to be and needs dedicated space. Whitley cited security and fairness arguments, noting that suspects, judges and prosecutors often end up in the same elevator in the current building.

The facility would replace a surface parking lot at Second and Burnett streets, allowing for the necessary consolidation without taking a building off the property tax rolls, as would happen if the county bought an existing building. Whitley said the building’s garage would probably be available for night and weekend parking for downtown visitors, as county facilities have in the past.

Voters may feel like everywhere they turn, governments are pushing more money out the door for new projects. On the same ballot for many, the Fort Worth school district will ask for $1.4 billion in bond money, and Congress is talking about spending amounts that are beyond comprehension for most.

But it’s important to evaluate each request for need, fiscal prudence and preparation for the future. Both of Tarrant County’s proposals score well in those categories and deserve voter approval.

Early voting begins Oct. 18 and runs through Oct. 29. Election Day is Nov. 2.

This story was originally published October 14, 2021 at 5:07 AM.