Interstate 69 in Texas
Encyclopedia
Interstate 69 in the U.S. state of Texas
is a proposed extension of that existing Interstate Highway that would pass through the eastern part of the state.
and roughly follow US 59 to the south, serving Nacogdoches
, Lufkin
, Livingston
, Shepherd
, and Cleveland
. In Lufkin, Interstate 69 will intersect with U.S. Highway 69, presenting some interesting directional signage.
In the Houston area
, a number of possible routings of mainline Interstate 69 are possible. The designation could follow US 59, Interstate 610
, Beltway 8 and the Sam Houston Tollway, State Highway 99
(Grand Parkway), or a new route. In the Houston area, I-69 will intersect Interstate 10 and Interstate 45.
From Houston, I-69 is again expected to follow the US 59 corridor southwest to Victoria, Texas
. From there, the congressionally designated corridor splits into three "legs":
The routing of I-69 in Texas is being studied as part of the Trans-Texas Corridor
(TTC) concept as the "I-69/TTC" component. The study also includes potential upgrades to the US 59 corridor north from Carthage to Texarkana
, a federally designated spur from the I-69 route, along with a state-designated "Port to Port" corridor from Laredo to Corpus Christi roughly following SH 44 east of Freer
.
In any case, Texas is proceeding in the same fashion as Indiana, conducting environmental studies for its portion of I-69 in a two-tier process. The mainline route through Texas will be approximately 500 miles (804.7 km). On June 11, 2008, TxDOT announced they planned to limit further study of I-69 to existing highway corridors (U.S. 59, U.S. 77, U.S. 281, U.S. 84, and SH 44) outside transition zones in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Houston, and Texarkana.
Texas originally sought a public-private partnership
to construct much of the route through Texas as a privately operated toll road. However, on June 26, 2008, TxDOT announced that they had approved a proposal by Zachry American
and ACS Infrastructure
to develop the I-69 corridor in Texas, beginning with upgrades to the U.S. 77 corridor between Brownsville and I-37; the Zachry/ACS plan calls for only two tolled sections of the I-69 mainline (bypasses of Riviera
and Driscoll
) with most of the freeway being toll-free.
Original plans for the route included a potential overlap with the "TTC-35" corridor component as well, but the preferred alternative for that component follows I-35 south of San Antonio
instead of entering the lower Rio Grande Valley
.
A stated goal of TxDOT's I-69 initiative is that "existing suitable freeway sections of the proposed system be designated as I-69 as soon as possible." A bill was introduced into the House of Representatives that, if enacted, would allow interstate quality sections of US-59, US-77, and US-281 to be signed as I-69 regardless of whether or not they connected to other interstate highways.
Meanwhile, TxDOT has submitted an application to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to designate 75 miles of US-59 in the Houston area and 8 miles of US-77 near Corpus Christi as I-69, as these sections are already built to interstate standards and connect to other interstate highways. In August 2011, TxDOT received approval from FHWA for a six-mile segment of US 77 between I-37
and SH 44 near Corpus Christi
, and was approved by the AASHTO in October 2011. Signage will begin posting during a ceremony on December 5, 2011.
TxDOT reported in June 2011 that over 230 miles of the proposed 500-mile I-69 route through the state has been completed.
for more details.
Some opponents see I-69 and the Trans-Texas Corridor as a U.S. component of Plan Puebla Panama
, an economic development
plan proposed by former Mexican President
Vicente Fox
and related to the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) and the Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). While this plan has seen little public discussion in the United States, it may color views of the project in Mexico
and other countries.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
is a proposed extension of that existing Interstate Highway that would pass through the eastern part of the state.
Route description
In Texas, I-69 will enter from Louisiana to the east and intersect with the U.S. Highway 59 corridor near CarthageCarthage, Texas
Carthage is a city in Panola County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Panola County, and is situated in East Texas near the Louisiana state line.-Geography:...
and roughly follow US 59 to the south, serving Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
, Lufkin
Lufkin, Texas
Lufkin is a city in Angelina County, Texas, United States. Founded in 1882, the population was 35,067 in 2010. It is the county seat of Angelina County, and is situated in Deep East Texas.-History:...
, Livingston
Livingston, Texas
Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,433 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County. Livingston was settled in 1835 as Springfield. Its name was changed to Livingston and became the county seat of Polk County in 1846.The Alabama-Coushatta...
, Shepherd
Shepherd, Texas
Shepherd is a city in San Jacinto County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,029 at the 2000 census. The Cox Radio Tower, one of the tallest constructions in the USA, is located near Shepherd.-Geography:...
, and Cleveland
Cleveland, Texas
Cleveland is a city in Liberty County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census.-History:In 1854, a church and convent was built by Father Peter La Cour near the town's present site...
. In Lufkin, Interstate 69 will intersect with U.S. Highway 69, presenting some interesting directional signage.
In the Houston area
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
, a number of possible routings of mainline Interstate 69 are possible. The designation could follow US 59, Interstate 610
Interstate 610 (Texas)
Interstate 610 is a freeway that forms a forty-two-mile loop around the downtown sector of city of Houston, Texas. Interstate 610, colloquially known as "The Loop", "Loop 610", "The 610 Loop", or just "610", traditionally marks the border between the inner city of Houston and its surrounding areas...
, Beltway 8 and the Sam Houston Tollway, State Highway 99
State Highway 99 (Texas)
State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, is a Texas highway, which opened its first section in 1994. When State Highway 99 is complete, it will be the longest beltway in the world, and the third loop within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, with Interstate 610 being...
(Grand Parkway), or a new route. In the Houston area, I-69 will intersect Interstate 10 and Interstate 45.
From Houston, I-69 is again expected to follow the US 59 corridor southwest to Victoria, Texas
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
. From there, the congressionally designated corridor splits into three "legs":
- West along the US 59 corridor to the Mexican border in LaredoLaredo, TexasLaredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
via George WestGeorge West, TexasGeorge West is a city in Live Oak County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,524 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Live Oak County. George West was named the "storytelling capital of Texas" in 2005 by the Texas Senate; and it hosts the George West Storyfest, a festival that...
(where it will intersect Interstate 37). This leg will also intersect Interstate 35 in Laredo, which connects to Mexican Federal Highway 85Mexican Federal Highway 85Mexico's Federal Highway 85 connects Mexico City with the U.S. border at Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. It is the original route of the Inter-American Highway. Highway 85 runs through Monterrey, Nuevo León; Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas; Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí; and Pachuca, Hidalgo...
south of the border. - Central along the US 59 corridor to George West, then turning south along the U.S. Highway 281 corridor to the Mexican border in PharrPharr, TexasPharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 70,400. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas...
. - South along the U.S. Highway 77 corridor to the Mexican border in Brownsville, TexasBrownsville, TexasBrownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
(with connections to Mexican Federal Highway 180Mexican Federal Highway 180Mexican Federal Highway 180 is a Mexican Federal Highway that follows Mexico's Gulf and Caribbean Coast from the Mexico-U.S. border at Brownsville, Texas, into Matamoros, Tamaulipas, to the resort city of Cancún, Quintana Roo, in the Yucatán Peninsula....
), intersecting I-37 northwest of Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
.
The routing of I-69 in Texas is being studied as part of the Trans-Texas Corridor
Trans-Texas Corridor
The Trans-Texas Corridor was a transportation network that was discontinued in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. State of Texas. The network, as originally envisioned, would have been composed of a network of supercorridors up to wide to carry parallel links of tollways,...
(TTC) concept as the "I-69/TTC" component. The study also includes potential upgrades to the US 59 corridor north from Carthage to Texarkana
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. It effectively functions as one half of a city which crosses a state line — the other half, the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, lies on the other side of State Line Avenue...
, a federally designated spur from the I-69 route, along with a state-designated "Port to Port" corridor from Laredo to Corpus Christi roughly following SH 44 east of Freer
Freer, Texas
Freer is a city in Duval County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,241 at the 2000 census. The city and county are heavily Hispanic in ethnicity and Democratic in voting history. From the 1930s-1960s, the county was dominated by the political boss, called a patron in South Texas, George...
.
In any case, Texas is proceeding in the same fashion as Indiana, conducting environmental studies for its portion of I-69 in a two-tier process. The mainline route through Texas will be approximately 500 miles (804.7 km). On June 11, 2008, TxDOT announced they planned to limit further study of I-69 to existing highway corridors (U.S. 59, U.S. 77, U.S. 281, U.S. 84, and SH 44) outside transition zones in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Houston, and Texarkana.
Texas originally sought a public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
to construct much of the route through Texas as a privately operated toll road. However, on June 26, 2008, TxDOT announced that they had approved a proposal by Zachry American
Zachry Construction Corporation
Zachry Construction Corporation was a construction company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1924 by H. Bartell Zachry. In 2008, this entity was split into two distinct companies, Zachry Corporation and Zachry Holdings, Inc....
and ACS Infrastructure
Grupo ACS
Actividades de Construcción y Servicios, S.A. is a Spanish company dedicated to civil and engineering construction, all types services and telecommunications. It is one of the leading construction companies in the world, with projects in many countries around the world...
to develop the I-69 corridor in Texas, beginning with upgrades to the U.S. 77 corridor between Brownsville and I-37; the Zachry/ACS plan calls for only two tolled sections of the I-69 mainline (bypasses of Riviera
Riviera, Texas
Riviera is an unincorporated community in Kleberg County, Texas, United States.Riviera is located about south of Kingsville on U.S. Highway 77 and about northeast of Falfurrias on Texas State Highway 285.-History:...
and Driscoll
Driscoll, Texas
Driscoll is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States. The population was 825 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Driscoll is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
) with most of the freeway being toll-free.
Original plans for the route included a potential overlap with the "TTC-35" corridor component as well, but the preferred alternative for that component follows I-35 south of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
instead of entering the lower Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
.
Status
As of July 2011, Texas has been proceeding with upgrading rural sections of US-59, US-77, and US-281 to interstate standards by replacing intersections with interchanges, and converting 2-lane stretches to 4 lanes by adding a second carriageway to the existing roadway.A stated goal of TxDOT's I-69 initiative is that "existing suitable freeway sections of the proposed system be designated as I-69 as soon as possible." A bill was introduced into the House of Representatives that, if enacted, would allow interstate quality sections of US-59, US-77, and US-281 to be signed as I-69 regardless of whether or not they connected to other interstate highways.
Meanwhile, TxDOT has submitted an application to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to designate 75 miles of US-59 in the Houston area and 8 miles of US-77 near Corpus Christi as I-69, as these sections are already built to interstate standards and connect to other interstate highways. In August 2011, TxDOT received approval from FHWA for a six-mile segment of US 77 between I-37
Interstate 37
Interstate 37 is a intrastate Interstate Highway located within the U.S. state of Texas. The highway was first designated in 1959 as a route between Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Construction in the urban areas of Corpus Christi and San Antonio began in the 1960s and the segments of the...
and SH 44 near Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, and was approved by the AASHTO in October 2011. Signage will begin posting during a ceremony on December 5, 2011.
TxDOT reported in June 2011 that over 230 miles of the proposed 500-mile I-69 route through the state has been completed.
Opposition and controversy
The project has been opposed in Texas by both environmentalists and property-rights activists, albeit for somewhat different reasons. See the article on the Trans-Texas CorridorTrans-Texas Corridor
The Trans-Texas Corridor was a transportation network that was discontinued in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. State of Texas. The network, as originally envisioned, would have been composed of a network of supercorridors up to wide to carry parallel links of tollways,...
for more details.
Some opponents see I-69 and the Trans-Texas Corridor as a U.S. component of Plan Puebla Panama
Plan Puebla Panama
The Puebla-Panama Plan is a multi-billion dollar development plan formally initiated in 2001, which is intended to "promote the regional integration and development" of the nine southern states of Mexico with all of Central America and Colombia...
, an economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
plan proposed by former Mexican President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
and related to the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA) and the Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). While this plan has seen little public discussion in the United States, it may color views of the project in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and other countries.