JUNE 6, 2023, POINT COMFORT, TEXAS – To improve highway safety in Calhoun and Jackson Counties, Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. (Formosa Plastics) has partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to widen Farm-to-Market Road 1593. Formosa Plastics is donating $3.6 million to TxDOT for the project solidifying the unique public and private partnership. State Representative J.M. Lozano and TxDOT representatives will accept the check donation at 10 a.m. CDT, on Friday, June 9 at Formosa Plastics in Point Comfort, Texas.

Three miles of FM 1593 will be widened from two lanes to five. The area spans from the facility’s Gate 8 (Jackson County) to the State Highway 35 and FM 1593 intersection in (Calhoun County). Illumination and hinged traffic signals for oversized loads will be installed at Gates 3, 5 and 8, respectively. Turning, acceleration and deceleration lanes will also be added to the gate entrances. The project is anticipated to begin in early 2024 and will take approximately one year to complete.

Formosa Plastics values its long-term partnership with TxDOT. The partners have worked together for many years. Sharing the commitment to enhance safety and traffic flow for surrounding communities has been at the forefront of each organization’s business planning. In 2017, Formosa Plastics donated $1.6 million to enhance the intersection of Highway 35 and FM 1593. In 2021, Formosa Plastics donated about $1.1 million to install a traffic light at Gate 8. With the addition of this $3.6 million donation, Formosa Plastics will have donated $6.3 million to improve the area.

Mike Rivet, Executive Director & Site Manager for Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas, recently stated, “The Texas Department of Transportation understands Formosa Plastics’ commitment to continuous improvement. We take our commitments very seriously. Improving a major roadway for Calhoun and Jackson Counties is just the first of many examples to demonstrate our willingness to enhance the safety for our employees and community members.”

Jeffery Vinklarek, PE, Director of Transportation Planning and Development for TxDOT, said “The FM 1593 expansion project is focused on improving the safety of this corridor by adding capacity and operational improvements that will make FM 1593 safer to the traveling public.  This project was very complex due to the railroad, number of pipelines, and huge waterlines in conflict with the expansion.  Thanks to Formosa’s dedication to the project and financial support, this project will be awarded to a contractor this summer with construction starting early 2024.”

About Formosa Plastics

Founded in 1978, Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. (Formosa Plastics) is a growing, vertically-integrated supplier of plastic resins and petrochemicals. The private U.S. company has annual revenues of more than $6 billion. The manufacturing site in Texas employs more than 2,500 full-time employees and 1,000 full-time contractors who operate more than 20 production units.

Formosa Plastics offers a full line of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polypropylene resins, caustic soda and other petrochemicals that deliver the consistency, performance and quality that customers demand. It markets polypropylene and polyethylene resins under the Formolene® trade name; and markets its suspension PVC and specialty (dispersion) PVC resins under the Formolon® trade name. It is certified to the ISO 9001 quality management system and the ISO 14001 environmental management system.

About TxDOT

The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, maritime, rail, and public transportation across the state. Through collaboration and leadership, TxDOT delivers a safe, reliable, and integrated transportation system that enables the movement of people and goods.

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