US Representatives Arrington and Cuellar File HR 7151

As a result of the Interstate Feasibility Study conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), U.S. Representatives Jodey Arrington and Henry Cuellar filed HR 7151 to designate the future extension of Interstate-27.

“I’m very proud to be working across the aisle with my good friend and colleague, Rep. Henry Cuellar, on this important legislation,” said U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (TX-19). “With a stronger farm bill, a new and improved trade deal with Canada and Mexico, and one of the largest energy basins’ in the world – establishing a four-lane, federal highway from West Texas through the Heartland is critical to enhancing America’s agriculture and energy dominance. However you want to measure it – new jobs, economic growth, reductions in traffic and  accidents – the return on investment for the Ports-to-Plains highway project is tremendous, not only for Texas, but for the entire country.”

The findings of the study concluded the extension could increase Texas’ gross domestic product (GDP) by $55.6 billion, add 17,710 new jobs, decrease crash rate by 21% and save $450 million in safety improvements. Using the GDP increase, the estimated return on investment for the extension is 76%.

Within the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, the travel cost savings are estimated by TxDOT to be
$3.4 billion annually. Travel cost savings include vehicle operation, personal time and reliability, shipper logistics, and business time and reliability. Additionally, the interstate upgrade reduces average end-to-end travel times across the corridor, saving 89 minutes. These savings provide businesses along the corridor improved access to the international markets and a wider range of customers within one day by truck distance.

“As the representative for the country’s busiest port of entry, I understand the importance of federal investments in transportation infrastructure, which support cross-border trade,” said U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (TX-28). “The I-27 corridor extension will benefit South Texas businesses and strengthen the U.S. economy by establishing new trade routes for agriculture and energy industries. I am committed to investing in our country’s infrastructure to better facilitate international trade and reap the full economic benefits of the USMCA. I want to thank Representatives Arrington, Lujan, Granger, and Thornberry for their support on this initiative.”

For the full press release, click below.

Press Release

“We are centered primarily around workforce to ensure we have a future trained workforce available for our businesses.”

John Osborne
Lubbock Economic Development Alliance