FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2000
CONTACT: Lisette McSoud Mondello
SENATOR HUTCHISON GETS HIGHWAY FUNDING BOOST FOR BORDER
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has obtained funding for the construction of improvements to U.S. Highway 77 and State Highway 281 that will speed the creation of Interstate 69, a key "NAFTA Corridor" and crucial transportation priority for South Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
A House-Senate conference committee included $22.5 million for the construction of overpasses along US 77 and Texas 281 in the final version of the FY 2001 Transportation Appropriations Bill. The full House and Senate are expected to vote on the conference report this week.
"This will strengthen the Texas Department of Transportation's ability to combine federal and state funds so we can build these highways to Interstate standards more quickly," Senator Hutchison said. "Converting crossings into overpasses will greatly enhance highway safety in the communities along these routes."
"These projects will bring I-69 one step closer to reality," she said. "We won't be able to take full advantage of all the opportunities NAFTA offers until the I-69 corridor is complete."
Senator Hutchison also was successful in obtaining $500,000 for the Texas Department of Transportation to implement an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to collect commercial vehicle registration and commercial vehicle permit information at the state's border crossings. The development of this system will expedite the flow and tracking of commercial vehicle traffic at our international borders and will contribute to the state's efforts to build a model "One-Stop" state border inspection station where Mexican trucks can be fully inspected.
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