SO IT WASN'T PETE SEPULVEDA'S $220,000 SALARY OR THAT OF DAVID GARCIA ($180,000) AT CCRMA THAT MOVED I-69 ALONG

By Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos and
Ramon Garcia, Hidalgo County Judge

Late this year the first Interstate 69 signs will go up on a section of US Highway 77 near Corpus Christi. That stretch is part of more than 230 miles of the I-69 route in Texas that are already at freeway standard.

US 77, US 281 and US 59 are being incrementally transformed into Interstate 69, a process that has already been underway for decades. Construction projects are underway or soon will be at Falfurrias, Encino, George West, Lyford, Kingsville, Sinton and SH 550 in Brownsville. Two more projects are extending the US 59 Eastex Freeway north of Houston. In the past few years freeway upgrade projects have been completed on US 281 and US 77 at Alice, Ben Bolt, Kingsville, Robstown and Sinton.

In some locations right-of-way needed for the future interstate was acquired decades ago. And for years the Texas Department of Transportation has been designing and constructing upgrade projects to meet interstate design standards.
The first official Interstate 69 signs will go up on I-37 and US 77 west of Corpus Christi, pointing motorists toward the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The Federal Highway Administration has approved adding a 6.2-mile section of US 77 freeway north of Robstown to the Interstate Highway System. More I-69 signs will be added next year on a 75-mile section of existing US 59 freeway north from Rosenberg through Houston and on into East Texas.
Plans are being put in place that will finally extend the Interstate Highway System to the Lower Rio Grande Valley sooner instead of later. An environmental review is nearing completion and progress has been made on funding to fill in the missing pieces of US 77. The goal of eliminating all stops on US 281 north of Hidalgo County is now being rapidly achieved thanks to the determined effort of Valley leaders over the past decade.
We know how important it is for our communities to be served by an interstate highway and that message has been heard clearly in Austin and Washington.

Every member of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate from Texas has signed on to co-sponsor a bill that will authorize Texas to post Interstate 69 signs on portions of US 77, US 59 and US 281 that already meet interstate standards but do not yet connect to the existing interstate system. This would include about 80 miles of existing US 77 and US 281 freeway in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. One version of the bill would also add the existing US 83 freeway between Harlingen and McAllen to the congressionally designated I-69 route.

Large sections of 900 miles of I-69 routes in Texas are now safer to drive because they meet interstate highway standards. With each overpass and every additional mile of I-69 upgrades, new doors open for economic development, new jobs and more efficient freight movements. Reduced travel times create new opportunities for families, giving them improved access to better jobs, university campuses, regional medical centers, shopping and greater recreational choices.

The US 77, US 281 and US 59 upgrade program has had strong local support for decades. Five regional segment committees made up of local dozens of officials and community representatives have been at work the past two years developing recommendations including which improvements should come first in each region. This fall the committees are seeking public input and their combined work will be assembled in a master plan to help guide the incremental development of Interstate 69 over the coming decade.

The Alliance for I-69 Texas is a coalition made up of cities, counties, port authorities and community leaders fighting for completion of I-69 in Texas. Since it was formed in 1994, the Alliance has provided sustained leadership and Cameron and Hidalgo counties have been helping lead the charge.

That work continued in the recent session of the Texas Legislature. Because Texas faces an ongoing highway funding crisis, fresh alternatives to traditional project development are essential.

The Alliance supported successful legislation that expands the authority of cities and counties to set up transportation reinvestment zones (TRZ) to build transportation projects. Additional or incremental tax revenue that is generated in the zone because the road project is built is captured and used to pay for the project. It does not involve any new taxes. Other approved legislation confirms the state's willingness to allow public-private partnerships to build some major highway projects with specific legislative approval.

The Alliance strongly supports having these financing tools available.

The Texas population will continue to grow and with growth will come more manufacturers, more product distribution centers, more freight moving across the Rio Grande, more tonnage through our seaports, and more families heading for their destination.

With our partners in the Alliance for I-69 Texas we are committed to securing funding that will keep us moving steadily toward the day when the entire I-69 Texas route is part of the Interstate Highway System. Each of the communities it touches will realize the full benefit of Interstate 69 only when it is completed as a seamless expressway from the Lower Rio Grande Valley to Houston and on to Texarkana.

(The above column was distributed by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership.)