I-27 System in Texas
Overview
The I-27 System in Texas, previously known as the Ports-to-Plains Corridor in Texas, was designated as a Future Interstate in the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus appropriations bill. The 963-mile corridor connects west and south Texas with Mexico through the strategic trade gateways of Laredo, Eagle Pass and Del Rio and north to Canada. This designation allows the roadways on the I-27 System in Texas to be added to the Interstate Highway System when it has been developed, designed and constructed to meet interstate standards. The corridor spans 26 Texas counties and includes portions of I-20, I-35, US 87, US 287, SH 349, I-27, US 83, US 277 and SH 158.
The 86th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1079 (HB 1079) relating to a study by TxDOT of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, including an evaluation of the feasibility of certain improvements to Interstate Highway 27 (I-27). The governor signed the bill into law on June 10, 2019. Creation of an I-27 Advisory Committee was a policy recommendation from the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Advisory Committee as part of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Interstate Feasibility Study completed in 2020.
Currently, approximately 124 miles of the system have been designated and signed as I-27 in Texas from I-40 in Amarillo to SL 289 on the south side of Lubbock.
The building of the I-27 System in Texas will be a decades-long strategic initiative and be developed through a series of incremental upgrades to bring existing highways up to interstate standards.
Once the highway sections have been upgraded to interstate standards, TxDOT will request interstate highway designation from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and AASHTO.
Interstate planning and development efforts
In 2024, TxDOT completed a statewide planning effort to develop an implementation strategy and plan to upgrade the network of highways in Texas to interstate standards. This strategy and plan were developed in coordination with the TxDOT districts and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) where the roadways that comprise the I-27 System in Texas are located. This planning effort included stakeholder identification and engagement, public meetings to inform the public about the new interstate highway system, and data collection and analyses to document the existing and future roadway characteristics. The implementation strategy and plan built upon the previous efforts completed during the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Interstate Feasibility Study. The planning process culminated in an implementation strategy report in support of an implementation plan, serving as a guide to the TxDOT districts for future project-specific planning and programming for construction.