More miles: Interstate sign unveilings held Friday

Sign unveiling ceremonies in Cameron County and on the Kenedy-Willacy county line on Friday marked the designation of additional miles of interstate in South Texas.

The Kenedy-Willacy event north of Raymondville celebrated the addition of just over 5.5 new miles of I-69E, a $38 million project that penetrated a mile or so into Kenedy County, according to Pete Alvarez, engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Pharr District.

“We’ve still got another 47 miles to go to get to the Kleberg County line,” he said. “We anticipate those projects to be completed around the 2030 time frame.”

But from a mile north of Willacy County all the way to Brownsville is now officially I-69E. For the Cameron County ceremony, held at the intersection of I-169 and Parades Line Road, officials unveiled a new I-169 sign designating an additional two miles, which cost $8 million to build, of the route connecting the Port of Brownsville with I-69E. That leaves a 1.5-mile gap, $20 million project on which construction is slated to begin next fall, Alvarez said. Once it’s complete, it will be interstate all the way from I-69E to the port, he said.

The Texas portion of I-69, which eventually will connect Canada with Mexico, includes multiple projects to make the entire stretch between Brownsville and Corpus Christi interstate-quality roadway — meaning no stop lights or stop signs — with the I-69E designation. Alvarez said the biggest challenge to getting it done quickly is funding, thus the 2030 estimate for completion.

“Our goal is to continue to project develop have them shovel ready should funding become available,” he said. “Projects like these are built to interstate standards, which means they meet all of the safety requirements, all the design standards, to be officially designated as interstate highway.”

Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. called it a “great day for Cameron County,” adding, “it’s been a long time coming.”

“It makes (the port) and our region obviously much more competitive and much more attractive in regard to the entire movement of goods, the economic development, and the … investment of state and federal transportation dollars,” he said.

Trevino expressed gratitude to county commissioners Sofia Benavides and David Garza, and to former county commissioner and current port commissioner John Wood, for championing the interstate project.

“We’re real excited about where we are today,” Trevino said.

Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy, chairwoman of the Alliance for I-69 Texas, was on hand for Friday’s ceremonies and said the large number of elected officials, TxDOT officials in attendance illustrated the partnerships that make such large-scale projects succeed.

“You have cities, you have counties, you have port authorities, you have every possible agency and entity represented, and a tremendous partnership with the state of Texas, with TxDOT and their staff, with the (Federal Highway Administration),” she said.

The Alliance for I-69 Texas was formed in 1993.

Mark Williams, TxDOT executive director, was also on hand for the unveilings and likewise touted the partnerships making the multiple I-69 projects possible.

“It was about 10 years ago when we were here celebrating the very first designation of Interstate 69,” he said. “There are well over 100 miles of interstate now in the (Rio Grande) Valley and more to come.”