U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, West Texas leaders tout progress on I-27 expansion

MIDLAND — Leaders from across the Permian Basin and beyond gathered Tuesday to celebrate progress on several monumental projects that could one day make Midland-Odessa a major transportation and trade hub home to three cross-country interstate highways.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined state officials and mayors and county judges from across the future Interstate 27 and Interstate 14 corridors at a meeting of the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance (MOTRAN). Officials from Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Big Spring and Lubbock were present for the event.

Last Friday, President Joe Biden signed into law the I-27 Numbering Act of 2023, marking the most recent development in a yearslong effort to expand I-27 and connect the Ports-to-Plains Corridor. The act, which names the Laredo-to-Raton, New Mexico corridor Interstate 27, was unanimously approved in the Senate earlier this month after passing the house last year. The corridor was federally designated in 2022.

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"I think infrastructure dollars need to flow where need is, and need is out here," Cruz, who sponsored the act, said. "Need in terms of population, in terms of commerce, in terms of agriculture, in terms of livestock, in terms of oil and gas — the need is here and that's where the infrastructure should flow."

Cruz said eventual interstate expansion — including I-27 and I-14 through the Permian Basin — could add billions of dollars to the Texas economy.

"(The Texas Department of Transportation) conducted a study of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, and they found that upgrades would result in a 76% return on investment, $3.4 billion in annual travel cost savings, 17,710 new jobs and a $2.2 billion annual increase in state GDP," Cruz said. "If you want to talk about having an impact on this community, this new infrastructure will have it."

Lauren Garduño, president and CEO of the Port-to-Plains Alliance, highlighted the potential agricultural and trade impact of the future expansion.

"This corridor touches about $12 billion in the cattle industry and about 40% of the nation's cotton. It goes right into the ports of Laredo, Eagle Pass and Del Rio, so we're talking about one of the largest trading markets," Garduño said. "It's a big deal."

More: I-27 Numbering Act passes U.S. Senate, heading to President Biden's desk

Midland Mayor Lori Blong touted safety improvements upgrading existing highways to interstate standards would bring.

"We have to think about are the families that live in our area who need to be able to move safely and quickly through our region," Blong said. "I have three kids that are playing sports all over our region, and I actually drove back from Lubbock last night at 11 o'clock. I got to see firsthand the corridor that this opportunity and this legislation supports. We have got to see that continue to be built out for the safety and continued development of our region, but also for our community."

TxDOT is currently working on engineering studies related for the interstate expansion, officials noted. Garduño previously told the Avalanche-Journal Lubbockites could see a few new miles added to I-27 as soon as this year.

"(TxDOT) is finished with developing the segment south of Lubbock where the interstate ends at the loop," he said. "They have completed the work to extend Interstate 27 about 4 1/2 to 5 miles south of there."

Now that the Numbering Act is law, that portion of the corridor can be re-signed and officially named as part of I-27. Officials have not yet announced a timeline for that, though Garduño noted last year it could be sometime this spring.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ted Cruz, West Texas leaders tout progress on I-27 expansion