I-27 extension/Ports-To-Plains Project now law (Lubbock, Laredo: prices, food, budget)

[shoe01]

https://www.kcbd.com/2022/03/15/port...ederal-budget/

A well-meaning person on social media complained about this, saying it put “commerce ahead of people.” If you like reasonable prices on food and clothing, and not being shocked at the gas station, this is a way to accomplish those things.

[case44]

I just knew it was going to be a matter of when, not if. Make no mistake, it's coming. And this is huge in many ways. Lubbock can now have that South Freeway which can now one day connect with San Angelo and Laredo. This is also going to relieve some of the truck traffic off of I-35.

Great stuff, shoe! Way to stay on top of it. And very soon, there will be more projects for a future I-27 once that new grade separation at FM 41 gets finished.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by case44

This is also going to relieve some of the truck traffic off of I-35.

Not by much. I-27 will provide a route for truck traffic headed for the Western U.S.

But I-35 is mostly Eastern U.S. bound. Significant relief will come once I-69 is completed from the RGV to Texarkana/Shreveport.

[case44]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Not by much. I-27 will provide a route for truck traffic headed for the Western U.S.

But I-35 is mostly Eastern U.S. bound. Significant relief will come once I-69 is completed from the RGV to Texarkana/Shreveport.

I'm not against I-69 at all, KerrTown. I say "Bring it on". But West Texans certainly have been underserved with the lack of a corridor of this magnitude in its region. Cities and towns along the new highway will benefit greatly. It's going to be fun to watch I-27 come in just like I've enjoyed with other one.

[case44]

Here's what I'm really going to enjoy seeing: What the new mile markers will look like in Lubbock.

My speculation is going to be this: If the mainline alignment is done through Midland, then Lubbock's downtown should be right around 563. If the mainline ends up going through Big Spring (as many think it will), then Lubbock's downtown would be at mile marker 524. Yeah, I know; the numbers will be approximate, but right now, I'm just speculating.

In any event, it's a matter of time before the old marker signs get taken down.

[case44]

Here's an update for you that somehow got hidden under the radar for a few months, but here it is:

https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/...r/71840434007/

I've been saying for a while now that I-27 could have new signage all the way to Loop 88. Well, it appears that that is now the goal for peeps in the area as well as the folks at TXDOT. It's time.

[shoe01]

Good news, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I mention the importance of a freeway connection to one of the fastest-growing areas in the US in the last 15 years (both population-wise and economically) in Midland/Odessa, and then another to Big Spring/I-20/San Angelo.

[case44]

Originally Posted by shoe01

Good news, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I mention the importance of a freeway connection to one of the fastest-growing areas in the US in the last 15 years (both population-wise and economically) in Midland/Odessa, and then another to Big Spring/I-20/San Angelo.

Ultimately, those connections will come into play. More work will need to be done on U.S. 87 south of Loop 88 and further south around two already-completed interchanges nearby. The part all the way to Angelo will be easy as pie, as I'm expecting most of the interchanges to consist of overpasses due to so much flat land.