• Tracking the Progress of Interstate 69 in Texas
» Importance of Freight Stressed in Washington
Leaders of the Alliance for I-69 Texas participated in a successful two days of meetings with lawmakers, congressional staffers and Department of Transportation officials. They delivered the message that progress is being made on I-69 in Texas and that I-69 will provide an important freight corridor needed to better link border ports of entry with seaports and inland commercial centers. They stressed that the key provisions of MAP-21 should be preserved or enhanced in the next federal transportation authorization bill including environmental streamlining. [Full Report]
» Signs Mark New Identity for Southwest Freeway
Above, Texas Transportation Commission member Jeff Austin and I-69 Alliance Chairman John Thompson raise one of the first I-69 signs to go up on the Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land. The ceremony attended by local officials, TxDOT representatives and Alliance board members was held April 3rd near the I-69/SH 6 interchange. The entire section of the US 59 freeway from Loop 610 to the south side of Rosenberg has been designated as I-69 and added to the Interstate Highway System. Local and state champions of I-69 gathered April 4th to continue the celebration marking a total of 70 miles in four counties that are now officially part of I-69 in Texas.
» Houston's Southwest Freeway Now Interstate 69
Another 28.4 miles of existing freeway has been designated as Interstate 69 and added to the national Interstate Highway System. The newest segment of I-69 is in the Houston area and is that part of the Southwest Freeway that, stretches southwest from Loop 610 near the Galleria to the southern edge of Rosenberg. This is the third segment of US 59 and US 77 to become part of I-69, including sections north of Houston and west of Corpus Christi.. Together they total to 70 miles of interstate. Other sections of completed freeway that have been completed to interstate standard are under review for designation in the coming year. [Full Report and Map]
» Texas Leadership Celebrates I-69 Progress
It was I-69 Day at the State Capitol and there were smiles all around celebrating the fact that more segments of the I-69 route in Texas are being added to the national Interstate Highway System and additional miles will be added soon. [Full Report and Lots of Pictures]
» NET RMA Opening Another Section of Toll 49
Work is now complete on 26 miles of an outer loop around Tyler. It is part of Toll 49, a new highway that will eventually be a connector to the Interstate 69 System and serve Marshall, Longview and Tyler. The Northeast Texas RMA just celebrated another project milestone. [Full Report]
» Construction Begins on Loop 20 Project in Laredo
Local officials, TxDOT and the Alliance broke ground recently on a $14.5 million diamond interchange on Loop 20 in Laredo at the busy intersection with McPherson Avenue. This location is just east of the Loop 20 interchange with Interstate 35 which connects Laredo to San Antonio and points north. Loop 20 is part of the route of existing highways in South Texas identified to become part of Interstate 69. It povides the connector to I-35 and the World Trade Bridge from the US 59 route which runs northeast to Victoria and Houston. [Full Report]
» I-69 Advisory Committee Final Report Sets Priorities
After more than four years of work and thousands of hours of deliberation by the local members of five Segment Committees, the I-69 Advisory Committee presented its Final Report and Recommendations to the Texas Transportation Commission. The report was presented by Committee Chair Judy Hawley and received strong support from members of the Commission. It includes the locally focused input and project prioritization recommendations of the Segment Committees and the statewide Advisory Committee. The committee report calls for maximum use of existing highway footprints in development of I-69. It recommends that early projects address existing safety, capacity and evacuation needs. [Full Report and Photos]
» Hawley Receives Statewide Leadership Award
Judy Hawley, vice chair of the Alliance for I-69 Texas board of directors and chair of the TxDOT I-69 Advisory Committee, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Russell H. Perry Award. The annual award recognizes leadership in creating public awareness of the need for an adequate transportation system in Texas. [Full Report]
» Alliance Backs Sen. Nichols Plan on Vehicle Sales Tax
The Alliance for I-69 board has endorsed a major change in Texas highway funding proposed by Senator Robert Nichols, the new chairman of the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation. He has proposed a constitutional amendment which, if approved by voters, would gradually shift all state sales tax revenue on vehicle purchases from the General Fund to a fund dedicated to building highways and paying off bond debt on previous highway improvements. The shift would be done over a decade to give the General Fund time to adjust. After 10 years it would mean that about $3 billion more a year is available for highway projects like those on the I-69 routes. [Full Report]
» Alliance Celebrates as I-69 Signs Go Up in Houston
The Alliance for I-69, state highway officials and Houston area community leaders gathered Sept. 13th to unveil a ceremonial I-69 sign and celebrate the start of installing I-69 signs on and near the Eastex Freeway north of Loop 610. Jeff Austin III, Texas Transportation Commission member, lead the celebration and provided an update on I-69 progress. He expects several more sections of existing freeway to be designated as I-69 and added to the Interstate Highway System in the coming year. [Full Report and Photos]
» Feds Approve FONSI for US 77 Upgrades
Celebration broke out in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas this week on news that the Federal Highway Administration had issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (otherwise known as a FONSI) covering all upgrade projects on US 77 from Harlingen to Corpus Christi. The decision provides blanket environmental clearance for projects to transform the existing US 77 into Interstate 69 and link the Rio Grande Valley to the national Interstate Highway System. Projects in Kingsville and Lyford are being constructed under separate environmental authorization. [Full Report]
» I-69 Is One Reason Texas is Ranked No. 1
Texas is again ranked No. 1 among the states as a place to do business in a national study. It is also No. 1 for transportation and TxDOT is making a point of saying that adding lanes to I-35 and continuing progress on building out sections of Interstate 69 in South Texas and East Texas are a big part of why. [Full Report]
» Highway Bill Means More I-69 Signs Are Coming
The new federal highway bill -- called MAP-21 -- removes the requirement that completed highway segments must be connected to an existing interstate highway before they can be added to the Interstate Highway System. The Alliance has been pushing hard for this change and it is an important milestone. It means that approximately 100 miles of I-69 routes that appear to already be at interstate standard can now be evaluated and added to the system. This includes major sections of existing freeway in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. [Full Report]
» $153 Million Allocated to I-69 Upgrade Projects
The Transportation Commission has allocated an additional $153 million for 10 upgrade projects along the I-69 routes in East Texas and South Texas. Included is $41 million for a new US 281 relief route at Premont in Jim Wells County. An $11.6 million project on US 59 in Victoria will eliminate crossovers and better serve the new 1 million square-foot Caterpillar excavator assembly plant there. $9 million will go to an overpass on Loop 20 in Laredo. Some of the funds are for project planning, environmental review and right-of-way identification. [Full Report]
Looking at Freight Movement
In December the Texas Transportation Commission heard reports on I-69, Panama Canal impacts, energy sector impacts, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Grand Parkway. Alliance Vice-Chair Judy Hawley thanked the commission for looking at freight needs as a system. She noted that I-69 supporters "have kind of been the lone rangers out there for a long time talking about the importance of moving freight." She said facilitating freight movement is not just about I-69 -- it is about all of the multi-modal pieces of a connected transportation system -- highways, ports, waterways and truck-rail terminals. TxDOT is moving foward with the kind of freight system planning that validates I-69's importance in efficient freight movement, port access, connectivity and support of the state's economy.
Serving Texas Ports
The 1,000 miles of existing highways that make up the I-69
Texas route today serve as critical connectors to the deepwater ports at Houston, Beaumont, Freeport, Point Comfort, Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Each completed I-69 upgrade project extends the market reach of all Texas seaports which are vital engines of the Texas economy.
230 Miles of Freeway
TxDOT reports that 230 miles of highway along the I-69 route are already at freeway standard and another 100 miles are near that level. These sections are not all at full interstate highway standard. Completed sections do include a 75 mile long stretch of US 59/I-69 through the Houston region that has been completed to full interstate highway standard (Splendora to Rosenberg) and is being added to the Interstate Highway System in three segments. [Read More]
