August 2024 Vol 22 Issue 8 - Ports to Plains

August 2024 Volume 22 Issue 8

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.

Be Sure Newsletter Email is Allowed

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.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By the time we go to press with this article I will have completed two years as your President of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance. It is really hard to believe how fast that time has flown by. Based upon all that is taking place upon our corridor you could say we live in some exciting times. Our membership continues to grow as our advocacy efforts are being felt all the way from Mexico to Canada, and I can report that our efforts are starting to extend into Mexico and Canada too. To date, nearly half of our 2300-mile corridor is upgraded to four-lane divided or better. And now over 1000 miles of that corridor will focus on upgrading to interstate standards in Texas and New Mexico thanks to our congressional IH 27 designation.

I want to remind everyone that we must treat our mission like a marathon and not a sprint. I understand that we live in an instant gratification society today, but projects of this size and nature take a long time. When the Interstate Highway System finally received the congressional funding needed to expand construction, it took thirty-nine years to officially complete. Someone might say that we can’t wait that long to complete our corridor, and I agree. I would point to an example of where there is a will, there is a way. The Pennsylvania Turnpike through the Appalachian Mountains was completed in a little over three years in the late 1930’s because there was the political will to do so. This was the precursor to the Interstate Highway System that would come later in the 1950’s that changed the way people travel from the east coast to the central United States at a time when America was moving out of population centers to find work during a depressed economy. The project also provided an economic boost for places like Pittsburg including and surrounding communities as this public works project employed a large workforce.

So how do we gain the political will to complete our corridor today? When Frank Turner, the person tapped by Eisenhower to build the interstate system, needed Congress to approve the largest infrastructure budget in US history, he knew he would need help from the public to win the votes. To do that he had staff generate a report that later was referred to as the “Yellow Book” which identified the economic benefits and impacts of having an interstate system traverse through cities and communities. That report was used to win support from mayors and other officials all throughout the United States which in the end helped Congress pass the largest infrastructure project since the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. That model still works today. When the feasibility study was completed on the Texas and New Mexico portion of our corridor showing the significant positive economic impact to upgrade to interstate standards, the political will surfaced again and now we have investment following to accomplish the task at hand. We are seeing movement in Nebraska and North Dakota too, because the value of improving our corridor is being recognized by our state and federal politicians. This highlights the value of your advocacy in this effort. We need mayors, we need judges, we need commissioners, we need businesses, we need everyone to support our efforts, and the political will follows.

I will close this article with an invitation to any and everyone to join us in Dickinson North Dakota for our annual meeting on September 10-12, 2024. We have a great lineup of presentations about activities all up and down our corridor. Plus, we will have great presentations from activities in Canada and Mexico as we continue to show the value of our corridor for economic development and trade. I am looking forward to another great year.

more to come …

Lauren D. Garduño

12 Days Until 2024 Ports-to-Plains Alliance Conference

Show your support of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance Conference … Ports-to-Plains … Heartland Expressway … Theodore Roosevelt Expressway! REGISTER TODAY!

The 2024 Ports-to-Plains Alliance Conference will be held in Dickinson, ND on September 10-12, 2024 at the Astoria Hotel Event Center and in Medora, ND.

Here are the direct links regarding the conference. See info on all events including the afternoon in Medora, ND.

Registration

Lodging

Sponsors

The Conference kicks off with Opening Reception at Astoria Hotel and Event Center at 5:30 pm MDT on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. A highlight will be Teddy Roosevelt as portrayed by Joe Wiegand (https://teddyrooseveltshow.com/).

The next morning, the Breakfast and Welcome to Ports-to-Plains Alliance Conference begins at 7:00 am MDT.

Throughout Wednesday the presenters will focus on Connecting North America, including Agriculture, Tourism, Energy, Funding, and Trade with Mexico and Canada. Brent Sanford, Former Lieutenant Governor, State of North Dakota will give the Keynote Address at lunch. The day will be completed with a Social and Dinner starting at 6:00 pm MDT

Thursday, will start with Breakfast at: 7:00 am MDT. Partnership Updates from Ports-to-Plains, Heartland Expressway, and Theodore Roosevelt Expressway and a session on Connecting Using Future Technology will follow.

At 11:30 am MDT, the conference will move about 36 miles to the west to Medora. Transportation to and from will be provided. Lunch will be provided at the Medora Community Center. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is under construction at Medora and after lunch there will be a presentation on the Library. The rest of the afternoon will allow participants to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Construction Site, Chateau de Mores, and Downtown Medora.

If flying, you can fly direct to Dickinson or fly to Williston and Williston Economic Development can provide transportation from Williston, to Dickinson. Contact Tina Scarborough with your flight schedule if you need ground transportation from/to either airport.

If you have any questions, please email Tina Scarborough with the Ports-to-Plains Alliance at tina.scarborough@portstoplains.com or (806) 777-4162 (cell) or Joe Kiely of Ports-to-Plains Alliance at joe.kiely@portstoplains.com or (719) 740-2240.

Progress in Texas 2025 UTP

On August 22, 2024, the Texas Transportation Commission approved the FY 25 Unified Transportation Plan (UTP). The UTP is TxDOT’s annual 10-year plan that guides the funding development of transportation projects across the state, identifies how much transportation funding the state expects to have over the next decade and how to distribute it to address TxDOT’s strategic goals, and includes all transportation projects that TxDOT is developing for construction over the next 10 years. The 2025 UTP includes a total of $104.2 billion distributed across the 12 UTP funding categories for construction. Additionally, the UTP guides and authorizes the development of projects estimated to let over the next 10 years, which totals $34.7 billion. The estimated $147.9 billion total represents a historic investment in Texas’ transportation system. The 2024 UTP included a total of $100.6 billion for construction and $34.2 billion for development of projects with a total investment of $143.2 billion. The FY25 UTP includes an additional $1.7 billion of funding for key statewide and rural corridors. U.S. 87 between the Texas/New Mexico state line to San Angelo and U.S. 277/83 between Sonora and Laredo are included in the statewide and rural corridors. The projects listed in the UTP are only for the Category 2, Category 4U, Category 4R, and Category 12.

Ports-to-Plains Projects in 2025 UTP

Link to Spreadsheet of Ports-to-Plains Projects in 2025 UTP.

The spreadsheet contains a sheet for each TxDOT District. Green Highlights indicate a project in the FY2025 UTP. Yellow indicates a project in the FY 2024 UTP that was let for construction in 2024. Blue highlighting indicates a project that was in the 2024 UTP, not let for construction and removed from FY 2025 UTP.

That is progress! But there is more to the story about investment in projects benefiting the Ports-to-Plains Corridor in Texas. Annually, the Ports-to-Plains Alliance reviews projects in the UTP. In 2024, projects benefitting the Ports-to-Plains Corridor totaled about $2.17 billion. In the approved FY 2025 UTP, projects totaled to $2.15 billion. $485.1 million of projects in the FY24 UTP are not in the 2025 UTP because those projects began construction. Exciting increase in investment in the Ports-to-Plains Corridor in Texas.

If you wish to see non-PTP Projects for each TxDOT District, CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD COMPLETE FY 2025 UTP