Valley highways in the running for I-69 designation
WESLACO — Two area highways made the cut in the state’s latest step toward a final decision on the route for an Interstate 69 extension linking South Texas to points north.
Advocates expect the project to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunities and improve air quality, among other benefits. But motorists also might have to pay tolls to use some portions.
Texas Department of Transportation officials on Tuesday unveiled the first major findings in their ongoing environmental assessment for the project.
The results push U.S. Highway 281 in Hidalgo County and U.S. Highway 77 in Cameron County into further studies over the next year to determine what roadway will officially be designated as the I-69 corridor. U.S. Highway 59 in Webb County also is in the running.
Traffic volume will largely dictate which artery wins.
All three will likely receive improvements of some sort, but what those improvements are and the timing of those projects is up in the air, said TxDOT spokeswoman Gaby Garcia.
She added that one highway could need vehicle improvements, while another would receive railroad upgrades. The next round of studies is expected to help finalize those details and specify which highways warrant the work.
The state plans to begin scheduling public hearings and town hall meetings for early next year to solicit public input before announcing its final recommendation on the I-69 route in the summer.
The 1,072-page initial environmental study for the project, which is planned to stretch 650 miles and connect the U.S.-Mexico border to Texarkana in northeast Texas, essentially eliminates the possibility of a brand-new route.
Instead, the report targets certain existing roadways for further study as candidates for expansion — including the possibility of overpasses, onramps, more lanes and — to the dismay of some drivers — toll booths.
The extension of I-69 through Texas is part of the Trans-Texas Corridor initiative and would address federal demand to connect Mexico and Canada for improved commercial traffic.
However, the federal government is not paying for it, leaving state officials to lean toward designating any expansion as a tollway.
Compared to raising the state fuel tax or issuing bonds, toll roads are the quickest and easiest financing option and have minimal widespread impact, they say.
“This is in the hundreds of billions of dollars,” said Mario Jorge, TxDOT’s local district engineer. “There is no way we will get that built with a gas tax.”
State officials stress, however, that any existing highways that are currently free to use will remain that way — only new lanes running parallel to the current roads would cost drivers.
The fees for using the new roadways haven’t been set; however, toll roads typically cost 12 to 15 cents per mile, according to TxDOT Executive Director Amadeo Saenz. Whether tolls will be used to finance the project, though, is not definite yet.
The current interstate system across Texas would be too difficult and expensive to expand, because of the number of residents who live within 50 miles of highways, officials say. They note that I-69 would be the first interstate to run north and south in the easternmost portion of the state.
