Houston mayoral candidate Sylvester Turner discussed the details of his proposed road repair job training program Tuesday, billing it as a combined fix for Houston's ailing infrastructure and income inequality.

The program, called "Road to the Future," would operate through a partnership with Houston-area community colleges, agencies such as the Texas Department of Transportation, and the private sector to create new road-repair community college courses whose enrollees would be placed in industry jobs.

"It's a two-fer," said Turner, who was flanked by representatives of potential program partners. "We fix the roads and we tackle the income inequality in the city of Houston."

Houston is ranked among the cities with the highest income inequality and economic segregation in the country.

The proposed workforce development program would not be a replacement for ReBuild Houston, the city's controversial streets and drainage improvement initiative.

Asked whether ReBuild funding would be used to pay employees trained through the Road to the Future program, Turner said he does not "necessarily want to be confined to the existing structure."

"That paradigm may shift," Turner said, a nod to the recent Texas Supreme Court ruling that the language on the 2010 ReBuild ballot initiative was not sufficiently clear.

Turner did not yet know the total cost of the program, nor did he know how much of that cost the city would have to shoulder.

He pointed instead to the potential funding benefits of partnering with outside groups.

"By partnering with these other entities where there's existing funding, Houston, I think, can achieve its overall objective of better roads and we can do it at a very ... reduced amount of money," Turner said.

Houston is facing a $126 million deficit for the budget year that starts next summer.

Turner said he plans to host a public discussion with potential partners in September to further develop the program.

City Councilman Stephen Costello criticized Turner's proposal while reaffirming his support of ReBuild Houston.

"If we continue to invest in our city and our citizens, I know that the market will continue to flourish and expand the growth of good paying jobs without adding another layer of bureaucracy we just can't afford," Costello said in a statement.