UPDATED: TxDOT creates Twitter accounts in most Texas cities except Dallas and Fort Worth

Updated 04:52 p.m., August 19, 2009

by Sarah Blaskovich

FORT WORTH — You may never have thought you'd want to be Facebook friends with a governmental entity, but as of recently, the option's there. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) made the splash that they'd be utilizing Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter as ways to communicate with the public about Texas department updates.

This isn't someone in Dallas-Fort Worth, that's for sure.

But while Facebook and YouTube posts are state-wide, their Twitter accounts are tailored to major metropolitan areas -- leaving out Dallas and Fort Worth. You'll find @TxDOTAustin and @TxDOTHoustonPIO, but no Dallas or Fort Worth feeds. (To be clear, there is also a TxDOT statewide Twitter account that does not share specialized info about specific cities, which is why each city has created their own.)

Fort Worth TxDOT spokesperson Val Lopez says that it's “easier” for them to keep Fort Worth's news online and out of Twitter right now. “Yoakum [a smaller city east of San Antonio] can put their lane closures on Twitter and fully accommodate what's going on. We couldn't do that in DFW – there's too much going on,” Lopez said.

But still, the biggest cities in Texas have TxDOT Twitter names. So why is DFW behind the curve? Drivers could check TxDOT's Twitter updates on their phones, which could be a useful and immediate tool if they're sitting in traffic. (It's pretty unsafe to check your phone while driving, but we can't pretend people don't do it.)

Lopez says when they're having a traffic emergency, they rely on the radio to send out their news instead. “Those traffic services get it on the radio in about a minute and a half. Twitter couldn't replace that,” he said.

They're also still figuring out what to use Twitter for, he said. So the solid answer is they're thinkin' about it. “We're not doing it yet, but we're looking at it in the future,” Lopez said.

UPDATE: After running this story, Pegasus News acquired the Twitter feeds @TxDOTDallas, @TxDOTFortWorth, and @TXDOTDFW since the local TxDOT offices wouldn't be using them. We have linked them to our local transportation updates so readers can get information about roads. After reporting this, TxDOT reacted, acquiring @TxDOTDallasPIO and @TxDOTFTWPIO. Both feeds were acquired by TxDOT on August 7, the date that this original story ran.

TxDOT appears to be pretty upset. You can read all about it in this blog post. We are in talks with TxDOT to hand over the original Twitter feeds so they can use them accordingly.