April 2024 Volume 22 Issue 4
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We are a voice for our small town, grassroots members who may otherwise not have access to the right audiences, as well as a conduit for industry to come together in support and promotion of transportation improvements.
We are committed to working as an Alliance to improve transportation infrastructure and business networks opportunities, by advocating for appropriate funding levels, so business and industry can thrive.
We are focused on the economic and business interests that are the lifeblood of the region.
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Be Sure Newsletter Email is Allowed
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As you may have noticed, the monthly Ports-to-Plains Newsletter is sent through our member database. Please be sure the email address pal@memberclicks-mail.net is allowed on your system.
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If I had to place a title on this article it would be the hidden cost of commodities. My wife came home from the grocery store the other day amazed and concerned at the high cost of groceries these days. Her backstory is that she is a child of depression era parents and was raised to do without if it was not absolutely necessary to have. So, it did not surprise me when she proclaimed that there would be a few things that we will not be buying this time around. Hey, as long as it was not my coffee and creamer, I did not make a big fuss. But stay with me as I continue this story. One of Ketta’s concerns that stems from her depression era parents is that she does not want to be that sweet little old lady in the grocery store digging through her purse to come up with enough change to pay for those milk and eggs.
Not having enough money to buy groceries is, and will continue to be, a real issue for people today for many reasons including things like inflation, climate impacts on commodities, limited supplies, wars in Russia and Ukraine, wars between Israel and Iran to name a few. So, what does all this have to do with building an enhanced transportation corridor through the midwestern United States?
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When TxDOT finished their Interstate feasibility study, it showed the great benefits to the Texas economy when built, and one of the numbers that jumped out at me was the annual travel cost savings of $3.4 billion on the corridor and an additional $690 million saved annually for the rest of the state. What do these numbers look like? One benefit would be the reduction of freight travel time by 1.5 hours by 2050 including $295 million annual travel cost savings in food and agriculture. Another benefit would be the 21% crash rate reduction by 2050 resulting in $450 million in annual savings. Another benefit would be the $505 million in travel cost savings for energy. Every one of these benefits help mitigate the impacts on our food supply created by those issues I mentioned earlier.
Even if we are building a four-lane divided highway outside of Texas and New Mexico, you will find proportional numbers that will show travel cost savings that can be applied to keeping food prices in check so that we don’t have to make hard choices to feed our families in the future. I will give you a real-world example to drive home this point. I was at my local gin paying my fertilizer bill the other day and found myself in a fascinating discussion about the hard decisions they were having to make to get the best transport price for their wheat and cotton. Due to the limited choices inflated transport costs at some points are reflected in the cost of those commodities to the public. Yes, it takes all modes of transportation like rail, highways, pipelines, and waterways to move our goods, but having an improved transportation corridor like the Ports-to-Plains will be critical for our economic well-being and maybe let me continue to have some bacon with my eggs for breakfast.
Before I close out this article, I want to mention for our Texas members and readership that TxDOT is finishing up the IH 27 Implementation Plan. See the article, I-27 Advisory Committee Workshop on Implementation Plan, below that summarizes the draft plan presented to the I-27 Advisory Committee on April 11th. The information is organized by TxDOT District and then individual Future Interstate Segments and City Location Studies and includes the proposed timeline for each. It is important that they receive our feedback on how to proceed with the build-out of IH 27 on the Ports-to-Plains corridor. We will try to provide communication with links for you to stay engaged with this exercise. Especially those communities where there are planned city location studies.
more to come …
Lauren D. Garduño
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I-27 Advisory Committee Workshop on Implementation Plan
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The I-27 Advisory Committee created by SB 1474 in 2021, met on April 11, 2024 in Lubbock Texas. Initially the committee set its goals and objectives. These included a goal to encourage construction of the Ports-to- Plains Corridor in Texas to federal interstate standards with an objective to develop a unified corridor-wide implementation strategy that lays out a plan for upgrading the Ports-to-Plains Corridor in Texas to an interstate-level facility.
CLICK HERE FOR I-27 Advisory Committee Goals and Objectives
During the April 11th committee meeting were two agenda items: Ports-to-Plains System in Texas - Interstate Implementation Plan Recommendations and Committee Workshop presented by Wendy Travis, Southwest Region Director, Transportation, Garver; and TxDOT District Updates. These items provided an overview of the current district projects and the future implementation plan. For purposes of this article, we will summarize both by TxDOT District. The Implementation Plan identified the phases of implementation into terms: Short-Term: 0-4 years; Mid-Term: 5-10 years; and Long-Term: 10+ years.
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City Location Study (CLS) - Carrizo Springs, Asherton, and Catarina Combined
- Short-Term: CLS Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL Long-Term: CST
Quemado City Location Study
- Short-Term: CLS Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL Long-Term: CST
State Loop 480 - Eagle Pass
- TxDOT Completed study, but not for interstate
Del Rio (Acuna-Del Rio II Connector) City Location Study
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: CLS/SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL Long-Term: CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0300-01 US 277/US 83 from US 277 and SH 480 Interchange
- From US 83/IH 35 to SH 255 (letting in 2028)
- US 83, from SH 255 to Carrizo Springs (letting in 2033)
- US 83, from Carrizo Springs to Eagle Pass (letting 2035+)
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0023-01 US 277 from US 277 and US 90 Interchange to US 277 and SH 480 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST Long-Term: None
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0022-10 US 277 from I-10 and US 277 Interchange to US 277 and US 90 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL Long-Term: CST
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Sonora Relief Route
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST Long-Term: Interstate Highway
City Location Study (CLS) - Eldorado
- Short-Term: CLS Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE Long-Term: ROW/UTL/CST
City Location Study (CLS) - Christoval
- Short-Term: CLS Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE Long-Term: ROW/UTL/CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0159-01 US 277 from US 87 and US 277 Interchange to I-10 and US 277 Interchange
- Short-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE Mid-Term: ROW/UTL/CST Long-Term: None
City Location Study (CLS) - Sterling City
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: CLS Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0069-03 US 87 from US 87 and SH 158 Interchange to US 87 and US 277 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-term: None Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
San Angelo Relief Route
- Short-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE Mid-Term: ROW/UTL/CST Long-Term: Interstate Highway
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0069-01 US 87 from I-20 and US 87 Interchange to US 87 and SH 158 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/ROW/UTL Long-Term: PSE/CST
City Location Study (CLS) - Garden City
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: CLS Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
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Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0068-05 US 87 from US 87 and SH 349 Interchange to I-20 and US 87 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST Long-Term: None
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Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0405-01 SH 158 from I-20 and SH 158 Interchange to US 87 and SH 158 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV Long-Term: PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0005-14 I-20 from I-20 and SH 349 Interchange to I-20 and SH 158 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: None Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0380-06 SH 349 from US 87 and SH 349 Interchange to I-20 and SH 349 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV Long-Term: PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
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Lamesa Relief Route
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV Long-Term: PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
Patricia City Location Study
- Short-Term: CLS/SCH/ENV Mid-Term: PSE/ROW/UTL Long-Term: CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0067-11 US 87 from I-27 and SH 289 Interchange to US 87 and SH 349 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV Long-Term: PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
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City Location Study (CLS) - Dumas
- Short-Term: CLS/SCH/ENV Mid-Term: None Long-Term: PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
SL 335 – Amarillo
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST Long-Term: None
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0041-05 US 87 from US 87/US 287 Interchange to I-27/I-40 Interchange
- Short-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE Mid-Term: ROW/UTL/CST Long-Term: None
City Location Study (CLS) – Cactus
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: CLS Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
City Location Study (CLS) – Stratford
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: CLS Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0066-01 US 287 from Oklahoma State Line to US 87 and US 287 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: None Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
City Location Study (CLS) – Hartley
- Short-Term: CLS Mid-Term: None Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
City Location Study (CLS) – Dalhart
- Short-Term: CLS Mid-Term: None Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
City Location Study (CLS) – Texline
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: CLS Long-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE/ROW/UTL/CST
Future Interstate Section (FIS) 0040-01 US 87 from New Mexico State Line to US 87 and US 87 Interchange
- Short-Term: None Mid-Term: SCH/ENV/PSE Long-Term: ROW/UTL/CST
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SAVE THE DATE: 2024 Ports-to-Plains Annual Conference
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Date: September 10-12, 2024
Location: Dickinson, North Dakota
Lodging:
Astoria Extended Suites & Event Center
363 15th Street West
Dickinson, North Dakota 58601
Theme: Connecting North America
Highlights:
Medora on the Afternoon of September 12th
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Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (Under Construction) on the afternoon of September 12th
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Joe Kiely
Vice President of Operations
Ports-to-Plains Alliance
PO Box 758
Limon, CO 80828
Cell: (719) 740-2240
joe.kiely@portstoplains.com
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Cal Klewin
Executive Director
Theodore Roosevelt Expressway Association
PO Box 1306
Williston, ND 58802
701-523-6171
cal@trexpressway.com
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Deb Cottier
Chair
Heartland Expressway Association
337 Main Street
Chadron, NE 69337
308-432-4023
dcottier@gpcom.net
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