twitter     


 

116 Miles Added to Interstate 69 Route

WASHINGTON, DC ­ Last week, Congressmen Ruben Hinojosa, Henry Cuellar and Filemon Vela along with Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez announced the designation of Interstate-69 East during their two-day visit to South Texas.  Administrator Mendez approved a request by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to designate several sections of Interstate in South Texas.  

 

U.S. 77 from University Boulevard in Brownsville to Raymondville will be designated as I-69 East.  Additionally, U.S. 83 from Harlingen to Mission will be designated as I-2 and U.S. 281 from Pharr to Edinburg will be designated as I-69 Central.  With the addition of these newly designated sections, 186 miles of the I-69 route have been added to the Interstate System in the past two years.  Once complete, I-69 will run from the Rio Grande Valley to Port Huron, Michigan -- near the Canadian border.

 

Administrator Mendez confirmed these segments meet American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Interstate Design Standards and the criteria for logical addition or connection to the Interstate System.  

 

“I-69 and I-2 will boost economic development in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and Texas in general,” said U.S. Rep. Hinojosa. “The designation of Interstates 69 and 2 will provide new economic opportunities in urban centers and rural communities along their routes. This project has been a long time in coming, but our region will soon reap the benefits from these projects.”

 

“Interstate 69 will serve to connect my hometown of Laredo, the Rio Grande Valley, and all of South Texas with the Federal Interstate Highway System,” Congressman Cuellar said.  “This area is home to some of the fastest growing communities and economies in the nation, and is vital to the economy of all of North America as a major trade route. The addition of these 116 miles will be an important milestone in making I-69 a true cross country highway.”

 

“Thanks to years of work by local, state, and federal officials, I-69 is finally a reality in the Rio Grande Valley.” Congressman Vela said.  “The Valley, with its fast-growing population, deserves an interstate system that will spur economic growth for South Texans and the entire country.”

 

# # #