Posted on 03/23/2008 4:49:55 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
South Texas is not only going to get its first interstate - it is also going to get a second and a third.
State transportation officials knew one of three southern highways - U.S. Highway 281 in Hidalgo County, U.S. Highway 77 in Cameron County or U.S. Highway 59 in Webb County - would eventually become part of an interstate stretching from the Texas-Mexico border to Texarkana, in the northeast part of the state. Only Webb County is currently served by an interstate.
The state's Trans-Texas Corridor plan calls for an Interstate 69 extension linking South Texas to points north, with I-69 eventually becoming part of a federal highway project to connect Canada and Mexico. Advocates expect the project to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunities and improve air quality, among other benefits.
Now, though, instead of only one South Texas highway making the cut for I-69 inclusion, all three of them have.
"All three routes are considered part of the I-69 system," said Mario Jorge, the Texas Department of Transportation's local district engineer. "The actual determination of which one comes first will be handled at a later date when funding becomes available."
Early discussions included the possibility of adding new lanes to one of the highways and operating them as a toll road targeting commercial traffic, while existing lanes would remain free for motorists to use.
But Jorge said no new lanes will be added to the highways, and the major upgrades will just be overpasses.
U.S. Highway 77 is the most likely choice to become the first I-69 corridor running through the Rio Grande Valley, he said, because it will be quicker, easier and cheaper to upgrade. No final decision has been made yet, however.
"Our plan is to get an interstate to the Valley as soon as we possibly can," Jorge said. "If 77 can get it here, we will do that."
Of the two Valley routes, U.S. Highway 77 has more segments that are already up to "interstate standards," which means they have more overpasses compared to U.S. Highway 281.
There also are fewer landowners along U.S. Highway 77 between Brownsville and Corpus Christi, meaning the state doesn't have to get as many approvals from property owners to access land for construction.
"It is a lot more expensive and a lot more complicated along 281," Jorge said. "There are way too many property owners."
The private development team for I-69 will have the final say over which corridor is upgraded first.
A consortium comprised of Spanish infrastructure giant Cintra and San Antonio-based Zachry Construction Corp. will provide TxDOT with a cost estimate and design for the Texas portion of the I-69 corridor in the next few months, Jorge said.
TxDOT also will ask the companies to do the upgrade of U.S. Highway 77, he said.
He said "zero dollars" have been allocated to upgrade the highway. State transportation officials started cutting road projects in December, citing a budget that can't keep up with existing road maintenance and new highway construction.
Jorge said the private developers will be funding the U.S. Highway 77 project from tolls collected in other segments of I-69 outside the Valley.
Once the consortium presents the three corridor construction plans to TxDOT, state officials will make their final decision on which route to upgrade first.
Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas met with Gov. Rick Perry last week to ask him to upgrade both U.S. Highway 77 and U.S. Highway 281 at the same time.
Salinas points to a February 2007 TxDOT study that repeatedly states that U.S. Highway 281 carries more truck traffic as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The federal government signed NAFTA in 1994 to increase trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico.
U.S Highway 281 carried 5.9 percent of the state's NAFTA traffic. U.S. Highway 59 was slightly lower and U.S. Highway 77 carried 3.6 percent.
The study also predicts U.S. Highway 281 will have the second largest increase in truck traffic by 2030 among seven major NAFTA corridors. Only Interstate 30, running from Dallas to Texarkana, will have a larger increase, according to the study's projections.
Salinas questions the state's rationale for leaning toward upgrading U.S. Highway 77 before U.S. Highway 281.
"Their own studies say that 281 is busier than 77," he said. Salinas added, though: "I'm not going to put 77 against 281 - they need to do both."
Repeated messages left with the governor's press office, the main TxDOT press office and Zachry were not returned Friday, which was a holiday. The Monitor was unable to locate contact information for Cintra.
U.S. Highway 281 will be upgraded, Jorge said. He just doesn't know when. However, construction for the U.S. Highway 77 upgrade should begin in the next three to five years.
"We're doing something very similar on 281 and trying to get the plans ready for expansion," Jorge said.
Hmmmm.
You forgot the secrecy and denial that surrounded all the planning a couple of years ago. ;-)
I see our main problem being poorly designed interchanges on the main arteries. A perfect example is the one between I-10 and Loop 1604.
Why would anyone want to use 281 as an alternate to I-35? 281 is approximateely 20 miles further west. It doesn't make sense unless you live between Blanco and New Braunfels.
People just need to slow down.
Once you get past San Antonio, 77 and 281 are what I like to call the *South Texas Autobahns. All they really need to do is build by-passes around the few communities you encounter. North of SA is a different matter.
Most folks in Texas are opposed to this plan.
Which roads are FREE? Are you talking about built for free?
*referendum*
As in vote? No Way! They know they’d lose bigtime.
I’m talking about not paying a toll to drive on that section of U.S. 77 that will become I-69 or I-x69
That's incorrect.
The TTC is entirely paid for by the private consortium at no taxpayer expense, or if there is any, it's very indirect and minimal.
It is owned by the state, however the consortium is given a 50 year window to operate the tollway and collect the revenue to recoup the investment.
At the end of 50 years, the consortium is out of the picture. Government being what it is, the TTC probably remains a tollway after 50 years, run by TXDOT. It never left state hands, and you never paid a dime unless you voluntarily chose to drive on it.
I think you’re grossly over exaggerating the issue. Texas is a fabulous State, and does manage their road systems equal to, or better than, any State I frequent.
Witness, if you will, the network of highways with higher than 55 mph speed limits compared to any other State.
Per capita, Texas is far below the average in highway deaths. In fact FARS reports Texas shows a 2-7% decrease in highway deaths since 02. Texas is well above the average for alcohol related traffic arrests, the number two cause of highway fatalities at 41% of all traffic deaths.
For being such a large and diverse State, with an exploding population, Texas does do a very good job.
Nothing personal, but you need to take a deep breath and calm down a tad. LOL
Check out this article from 2006 and see if you see any discrepancies.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16819345&BRD=1157&PAG=461&dept_id=172073&rfi=6
And this one.
Thank you, both.
In replying to your post I’ll address other’s remarks. Thanks for the statistics but they don’t really make me any safer on these roads I have to travel all the time.
281 IS a major alternative route from San Antonio to all points North. I never take 35 to Dallas Ft. Worth. Neither do many other folks. Traffic on 281 has increased dramatically over the 13 years I’ve lived next to it.
It should be 4 lanes all the way up and down and there should be no stop lights on it. Its absolutely crazy that I-35 is the only real interstate for the entire area. At the very least the freeway should be extended out from SA to Hwy 46. Second to that its crawling through every little town in central Texas is ridiculous.
290 between Dripping Springs and Austin is even worse.
These are the areas I travel regularly and am familiar with. I’m sure there are dozens of other examples all over the state.
Nobody seems to want to address my comment regarding highway bonds. I would love to buy some good Texas bonds. Hard to come by.
Yes its a great state, except for the way its run. The highways are inadequate to the needs.
This isn’t the same thing as mere cross border roads. This is about deliberately bypassing our own West Coast ports in order to bring in goods made by ChiCom slave labor through cheap Mexican ports and then into the heartland of the USA.
It is just more rotten shilling for the Mexicans that we get from George W. Bush and the Republocrats.
Don’t forget the eminant domain land grab to get all that land in the 1st place.
they don’t care if that land has been in the family for over 100 years or 10 years. Take it for the road.
How about the house that goes with that land in the family for 100 years, it is a registered historical landmark...... just tear it down we need that road.
It scares me that the gov. doesn’t care if we ALL SAY NO!!!!! they are going to build it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.