Trans-Texas Corridor - News
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State Ready to Develop Finance Plan for Ports-to-Plains Corridor
Texas transportation officials say it is time to come up with a plan to pay for the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, which many local officials predict will create new jobs and economic opportunity for West Texas.
The Texas Department of Transportation announced on September 20 that it will form a working group to develop a financial master plan for Ports-to-Plains.
“It is time to establish the financial plan so we know exactly what we’re aiming for,” said Fred Underwood, member of the Texas Transportation Commission.
“Our agency will devote the resources to getting this done in partnership with the Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor Coalition. We must make this corridor a reality and make Ports-to-Plains a familiar name to communities along this route who will benefit tremendously from its completion.”
Underwood made his remarks at the Great Plains International Conference in Denver, Colorado.
Ports-to-Plains is a proposed divided highway corridor stretching from Laredo through West Texas to Denver, Colorado. Designated as a High Priority Corridor by Congress in 1998, the Ports-to-Plains corridor is intended to expand economic opportunity and serve international trade from Mexico to Canada. Despite the congressional designation, adequate federal funding has not been provided to cover the cost of the project.
“TxDOT and Commissioner Underwood understand the need for innovative transportation solutions is not limited to metropolitan areas,” said Michael Reeves, president of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Coalition.
“We look forward to partnering with them to find the best financing plan that will work for our rural corridor. Ports-to-Plains and TxDOT have worked together to secure the benefits of trade for West Texas, and we are excited to be taking the next step.”
In addition to being be a catalyst for economic development and job creation, the Ports-to-Plains Corridor could provide a way to transfer energy generated by wind turbines in West Texas to other parts of Texas and the southwest, according to Underwood.
“If you drive through West Texas, you will likely see large wind turbines that dot the horizon,” Underwood said. “These turbines are creating vast amounts of clean and renewable energy. The Ports-to-Plains Corridor would provide a fantastic opportunity to move this energy to cities in need of power.”
West Texas agriculture will also benefit from Ports-to-Plains, according to Reeves.
“Today, 40 percent of all U.S. agriculture products are exported,” he said. “Ports-to-Plains is vital for West Texas farmers and ranchers to compete in a global market.”
Earlier this year, Cambridge Systematics issued a report to TxDOT outlining the rural development opportunities if Ports-to-Plains is built as part of the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor project.
“As Texas grows by 1,000 people a day, the Trans-Texas Corridor is about making transportation safer, faster and more reliable,” said Underwood. “It will improve mobility by providing additional driving lanes, options for rail travel, and routes to divert long-distance traffic from local roadways.”
