By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus attended a ceremony unveiling new signage for the first new segment of Interstate 27 (I-27) outside Lubbock, Texas, which will be part of the planned Ports- to-Plains Corridor.
The ceremony was held on Monday, April 14, and was hosted by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Ports-to-Plains Alliance, a non-profit group composed of more than 200 organizations and businesses focused on expanding the interstate corridor extending from Mexico to Canada.
The event commemorated the addition of 4.2 miles to the I-27 route south of Lubbock. Other members of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance were in attendance for the ribbon cutting and signage unveiling. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who has championed the Ports-to-Plains initiative in the U.S. Senate, was also present, as were elected leaders from the Lubbock area.
DeReus was present at the event to represent Del Rio and its
reveal of the first miles added to interstate 27 (I-27) near Lubbock, Texas on Monday, April 14.
The event commemorated the first addition of the future Ports- to-Plains Corridor, which will
extend from Mexico to Canada and lessen commercial traffic as well as benefit economic flow in
Del Rio and other surrounding cities in Texas.(Courtesy photo)
support for the corridor. DeReus said he spent time talking to council members from other cities, including members from Lubbock and San Angelo, Texas.
The Ports-to-Plains Alliance has requested federal funding for highway projects associated with the proposed corridor, which, according to the KCBD 11 New Channel, runs 963 miles long in Texas.
DeReus said the creation of the I-27 segment outside Lubbock is one of the first steps towards creating the Ports-to-Alliance Corridor.
“This is the first actual portion of the entire corridor that is now designated as an interstate,” DeReus said. “We have the future I-27 designation in a bunch of places, but (these miles) are the first ones.”
DeReus gave his thoughts on the project and said the decision to create the interstate is a “big jump,” but added that it will help with commercial traffic.
“That is the whole idea: to move traffic faster, and when you move traffic, then you’ll have more people going through the Laredo, Eagle Pass and Del Rio ports of entry, and it’ll help our economy,” DeReus said.
DeReus said he has concerns about the route chosen for the interstate in Val Verde County, mostly because of the challenges related to the geography north of Del Rio. But, he added, he believes work can be done on that highway nonetheless.
“Not going the full leap to go from two-lane 277 to four-lane interstate between (Del Rio) and San Angelo and just expanding that to four lanes would be huge; that would be a big first step, because then you can build on top of that,” DeReus said. “That is where I think personally we need to push a little bit harder.”
DeReus mentioned he is in support of the interstate being built and the intentions behind it. The Ports-to-Plains Alliance is continuing to seek support from other organizations, including Val Verde County and Ciudad Acuña, Coah., Mexico.
