Hwy. 77 becoming 1-69 leaving Valley

RAYMONDVILLE — Officials are expressing enthusiasm for a super highway project they hope will bring job opportunities, trade and tourism to the Rio Grande Valley.

But in the midst of optimism over plans to upgrade Highway 77 from Harlingen to Corpus Christi, Raymondville Mayor Lonnie Correa cautions that rural areas must be included in the planning.

"We need to go forward and not cut out the rural areas but let them be part of this great highway that’s going to go through," Correa said. "It kind of scared us because we kind of thought we might be overlooked, but it looks like we’re all on the same page."

About 50 people turned out Thursday for the first of five public hearings on plans for interstate upgrades connecting the Valley with I-37 at Corpus Christi.

After the meeting in Raymondville, Correa said some small towns in South Texas may be bypassed by the interstate highway. But Raymondville’s upgrades are already complete and he believes his city will benefit from the modernization.

"Hopefully, it’s a win-win for everybody," the mayor said.

Not everyone is entirely pleased with the plans.

Combes resident Steve Jennings said changing two-way frontage roads to one-way could harm him and his neighbors.

"I request that we retain that two-way frontage there," he said.

"There’s probably a minimum of 100 families that use that two-way frontage. It’s going to increase the drive time every time they go to town from one to four miles," he said of the possibility of frontage roads becoming one-way.

Jennings said he owns a business there and it would increase his driving costs.

Long-term plans call for connecting the Valley all the way to Port Huron, Mich., as part of the I-69 system. As of now, only a small section near Corpus Christi has been designated as I-69 in the South.

Although Valley officials want Highway 77 upgraded to interstate highway standards from Harlingen to Corpus Christi, where it connects to I-37, only portions that are actually improved to federal standards can be marked with an I-69 shield, said John Mack, of Jacobs Engineering, Austin.

I-69 has been completed for more than 30 years from Indianapolis to the Canadian border.

A seven-mile section of improvements is now under construction near Lyford. The next phase will begin in the Corpus Christi area and work southward.

Because traffic speeds will no doubt increase as Highway 77 is improved, the route will have to become limited access to reduce accidents, Mack said.

Cost estimates for the entire project exceed $1 billion, TxDOT officials said.

Funding will become available as Congress and the Texas Legislature approve it. But about $38 million will be needed each year to complete I-69 between Harlingen and Corpus Christi, Mack said.

"There will be medians, overpasses, on-ramps and off-ramps and, in some cases, one-way frontage roads," Mack said.

"Cars and trucks will only be able to enter and exit the (interstate highway) via these on and off ramps."

Two relief routes — bypasses — must be provided, one at Driscoll and one at Riviera, because traffic currently goes through those towns, Mack said.

TxDOT’s Bob Clark explained the negotiation process the state will have with landowners when more right-of-way is needed to widen the roadway in certain areas.

Landowners will be paid fair market value for property that is needed, Clark said. Dissatisfied landowners can appeal the state’s offer, he said.

As each portion of Highway 77 is completed to meet federal standards, with one-way frontage roads and on- and off-ramps and overpasses or underpasses, it will be marked as part of I-69, TxDOT Pharr District Engineer Mario Jorge said.

Mack reviewed every portion of the upgrade project from Raymondville to Corpus Christi.

Jorge said public hearings are being held in each community along the route so everyone affected will have complete information.

TxDOT will also hold hearings in Driscoll, Kingsville, Riviera, and Sarita.