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Interstate Highway in Texas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Interstate 69 (I-69[lower-alpha 1]) is an Interstate Highway that is in the process of being built in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of a longer I-69 extension known as the NAFTA superhighway, that, when completed, will connect Canada to Mexico. In Texas, it will connect Tenaha and the Louisiana segment of the route through the eastern part of the state and along the Texas Gulf Coast to Victoria, where it will split into three branches: I-69E to Brownsville, I-69C to Pharr, and I-69W to Laredo. The first segment of I-69 in Texas was opened in 2011 near Corpus Christi. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved an additional 58 miles (93 km) of U.S. Highway 77 (US 77) from Brownsville to the Willacy–Kenedy county line for designation as I-69, which was to be signed as I-69E upon concurrence from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). FHWA approval for this segment was announced on May 29, 2013.[2] By March 2015, a 74.9-mile (120.5 km) section of US 59 had been completed and designated as I-69 through Greater Houston. As of 2024[update], short segments near the southern terminuses of the three branch routes (I-69E, I-69C, and I-69W) have also all been completed. These branches are planned to be connected to the rest of Interstate 69.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Opened sections of I-69 highlighted in red; proposed sections in pink | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
Length | 75.3 mi (121.2 km) | |||
Existed | 2011 | –present|||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | ![]() ![]() | |||
![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
North end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Texas | |||
Counties | Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, Liberty | |||
Highway system | ||||
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The congressionally designated I-69 corridor begins at the Mexico–U.S. border with three suffixed routes:
I-69W and I-69E will merge just south of Victoria, where mainline I-69 will follow US 59 northeast to Fort Bend County. In Greater Houston, I-69 follows US 59 (Southwest Freeway) from Fort Bend County to the west loop of I-610. I-69 then follows US 59 (Eastex Freeway) from the north loop of I-610 to the Montgomery–Liberty county line. The segment of US 59 inside the I-610 loop, through Downtown Houston, was approved for designation as I-69 by the FHWA on March 9, 2015, and approved for signage as I-69 by the Texas Transportation Commission on March 25, 2015.[3]
From Houston, I-69 will follow US 59 to the north, serving Cleveland, Shepherd, Livingston, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, and Tenaha. From Tenaha, the I-69 mainline will head east into Louisiana along the US 84 corridor. In Texas, an Interstate route designated I-369 will proceed north along US 59 from Tenaha to Texarkana, serving Carthage, Marshall, and Atlanta. I-69 was originally planned to go to Carthage then leave US 59 to head in an east direction into Louisiana.[4][5][6]
The federal legislation designating the south Texas branches as I-69 suggested that these routes may be designated as "I-69E" (east, following US 77), "I-69C" (central, following US 281), and "I-69W" (west, following US 59). The AASHTO Special Committee on Route Numbering rejected the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)'s request for these three designations along the proposed I-69 branches, citing that AASHTO policy no longer allows Interstate Highways to be signed as suffixed routes. Stating that the I-69E, I-69C, and I-69W designations for the three I-69 branches south of Victoria were written into federal law, the initial denial of TxDOT's applications were subsequently overturned by the AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways, and the approval for the I-69E, I-69C, and I-69W branch designations were confirmed by the AASHTO Board of Directors, pending concurrence from the FHWA during the AASHTO Spring Meeting on May 7, 2013. During this same meeting, the section of US 83 between Harlingen and Peñitas was conditionally approved to be designated as I-2, with FHWA concurrence. The US 83 freeway in south Texas was widely anticipated to receive an I-X69 designation instead of I-2. In any case, Texas is proceeding in the same fashion as Indiana, conducting environmental studies for its portion of I-69 in a two-tier process. The mainline route through Texas will be approximately 500 miles (800 km). On June 11, 2008, TxDOT announced they planned to limit further study of I-69 to existing highway corridors (US 59, US 77, US 84, US 281, and State Highway 44 [SH 44]) outside transition zones in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Houston, and Texarkana.[7]
Texas originally sought a public–private partnership to construct much of the route through Texas as a privately operated toll road under the failed Trans-Texas Corridor project. On June 26, 2008, however, TxDOT announced that they had approved a proposal by Zachry American and ACS Group to develop the I-69 corridor in Texas, beginning with upgrades to the US 77 corridor between Brownsville and I-37; the Zachry American/ACS Group plan calls for the majority of the freeway to be toll-free; the only two tolled sections would be bypasses of Riviera and Driscoll.[8]
Original plans for the route included a potential overlap with the "TTC-35" corridor component as well, but the preferred alternative for that component follows I-35 south of San Antonio instead of entering the Lower Rio Grande Valley.[citation needed]
Since July 2011, Texas has been proceeding with upgrading rural sections of US 59, US 77, and US 281 to Interstate standards by replacing intersections with interchanges and converting two-lane stretches to four lanes by adding a second roadway to the existing roadway and adding one-way frontage roads. Some bypasses will be built around some cities with some of them being known as a relief route.
A stated goal of TxDOT's I-69 initiative is that "existing suitable freeway sections of the proposed system be designated as I-69 as soon as possible".[9] A bill was introduced and passed by the House of Representatives that allows Interstate quality sections of US 59, US 77, and US 281 to be signed as I-69 regardless of whether or not they connected to other Interstate Highways.
Meanwhile, TxDOT has submitted an application to the FHWA and AASHTO to designate 75 miles (121 km) of US 59 in the Houston area and eight miles (13 km) of US 77 near Corpus Christi as I-69, as these sections are already built to Interstate standards and connect to other Interstate Highways. In August 2011, TxDOT received approval from the FHWA for a six-mile (9.7 km) segment of US 77 between I-37 and SH 44 near Corpus Christi and was approved by AASHTO in October 2011.[10] Officials held a ceremony on December 5, 2011, to unveil I-69 signs on the Robstown–Corpus Christi section.[11] On May 29, 2013, the Robstown–Corpus Christi section of I-69 was resigned as I-69E.[citation needed]
At the May 18, 2012, AASHTO meeting, 35 miles (56 km) of US 59 (Eastex Freeway) from I-610 in Houston (on the loop's northern segment) to Fostoria Road in Liberty County were also approved as ready for I-69 signage, pending concurrence from the FHWA.[12] The FHWA later granted concurrence and with the final approval of the Texas Transportation Commission, the 35-mile (56 km) stretch was officially designated as I-69.[13] It was announced on February 6, 2013, that the FHWA had approved a 28.4-mile (45.7 km) segment of US 59 (Southwest Freeway) from I-610 in Houston (on the loop's western segment) to just southwest of Rosenberg;[14][15] the transportation commission gave final approval later that month and signage was erected on April 3, 2013.[16][17] The remaining segment of the original 75-mile (121 km) submission (the section within Houston between the northern and western sections of I-610) was approved for designation as I-69 by the FHWA on March 9, 2015, and approved for signage as I-69 by the transportation commission on March 25, 2015.
On May 29, 2013, the transportation commission gave approval to naming completed Interstate-standard segments of US 77 and US 281 as I-69. On July 15, 2013, the Interstate markers were unveiled.[18] US 77 through Cameron and Willacy counties are signed as I-69E. That includes 53 miles (85 km) of existing freeway starting at the international boundary in the middle of the Rio Grande in Brownsville and running north past Raymondville. The 13 miles (21 km) of US 281 freeway in Pharr and Edinburg are signed as I-69C.[19]
On November 20, 2014, the transportation commission voted to add two new sections totaling 6.1 miles (9.8 km) to I-69 in south Texas.[20] The first section is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) of newly finished freeway near Robstown in Nueces County and was co-designated as I-69E/US 77,[20] and the second section is a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) section of new freeway on the north side of Edinburg in Hidalgo County which was codesignated as I-69C/US 281.[20] The designations were approved by the FHWA and by AASHTO[20] making a total of 192 miles (309 km) of I-69 in Texas (including I-2).[citation needed]
On May 24, 2019, both the Texas House of Representatives and Senate approved a 10-year extension of highway funding needed for I-69.[21]
The southern terminus of the I-69 designation is to be extended to the Fort Bend–Wharton county line. This project was scheduled for completion in 2022.[22] The northern terminus of I-69 will also be extended to Cleveland. This project was scheduled for completion in by end of 2022[23] but got delayed to 2023 due to weather and supply chain issues.[24] Both of these segments have since been completed and are awaiting approval to be designated as I-69. AASHTO approved the extension in 2024.[25][26] Although the Riggs Cemetery, established in 1892, lies in the path the freeway in Liberty County, TxDOT is choosing to preserve it.[27] Work to extend I-69 northward to Shepherd and south to Victoria are in various stages of planning, development, design, and construction.[28]
There is no timeline of when I-69 in Texas will be completed as there no funding to complete it entirely.[29] Various portions of US 59 are being upgraded to Interstate standards with some bypasses being constructed. Construction on building a new alignment in Nacogdoches to bypass an the existing US 59 at Loop 224 interchange began in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed by 2026. It was scheduled for completion in 2023 but supply chain issues played a role in its delay.[30][31] TxDOT also held a public meeting on August 3, 2023, on the planned $115-million reconfiguration of the US 59 and US 259/Business US 59-F (Bus. US 59-F) interchange just north of Nacogdoches, although construction is not scheduled to start until 2029. This meeting came about one year after the last public meeting and discussed how the horseshoe-style intersection would be removed with the addition of flyover bridges.[32] Other construction in the area is not expected to be funded until 2034.[33] A bypass for Diboll is under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2025.[34][35] US 59 was redesignated on the unfinished bypass on May 25, 2023 with the former alignment becoming Bus. US 59-H.[36] The bypass for Corrigan started construction in late 2022 and is scheduled for completion in 2028.[37][38]
County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gap in route | |||||||
Wharton | Louise | — | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | I-69 will continue south along US 59 south to Victoria | |||
County Road 319[39] | |||||||
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Hillje | ![]() ![]() | ||||||
El Campo | ![]() ![]() | ||||||
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Pierce | ![]() | ||||||
Wharton | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
![]() | |||||||
| ![]() ![]() ![]() | Partially completed; to be southbound exit only and northbound entrance only; under reconstruction | |||||
Hungerford | ![]() | Partially completed; redesign interchange; under reconstruction | |||||
![]() ![]() | Under construction | ||||||
| County Road 212[39] | Under construction | |||||
Fort Bend | Kendleton | 0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Awaiting approval for I-69 desigination.[25] | ||
0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Closed; replaced by Loop 541 interchange | ||||
0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Awaiting approval for I-69 designation[25] | ||||
Beasley | 0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() ![]() | Awaiting approval for I-69 designation[25] | |||
0.0 | 0.0 | Isleib Road | Awaiting approval for I-69 designation[25] | ||||
0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Southbound exit only; awaiting approval for I-69 designation[25] | ||||
Rosenberg | 0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Awaiting approval for I-69 designation[25] | |||
0.0 | 0.0 | 94 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Current southern terminus of I-69; US 59 continues south; southbound exit signed for Spur 10 | |||
95 | ![]() | Southbound access only | |||||
2.3 | 3.7 | 96 | Bamore Road | Northbound exit is via exit 97 | |||
2.9 | 4.7 | 97 | ![]() | ||||
4.9 | 7.9 | 99 | ![]() | ||||
6.2 | 10.0 | 100 | Reading Road | ||||
| 6.8 | 10.9 | 101 | ![]() | |||
| 8.7 | 14.0 | 103 | ![]() | To Oak Bend Medical Center | ||
Sugar Land | 10.4 | 16.7 | 104 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | To Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital; signed as exit 105 southbound | ||
11.8 | 19.0 | 105 | Brazos River Turnaround | Signed as exit 106 southbound; southbound turnaround closed permanently since 2016 due to flooding from May 2016 North American storm complex; no southbound exit (closed until June 2025), [40]southbound access is via exit 107 | |||
13.3 | 21.4 | 107 | University Boulevard | No northbound exit (closed until September 2024), northbound access is via exit 105; no frontage road from University Boulevard to Riverbrook Drive (closed until August 2025 for reconstruction of frontage road bridge); traffic forced to enter main lanes south of University Boulevard at new ramp, frontage road access is via exit 105 | |||
14.3 | 23.0 | 108 | ![]() | To Methodist Sugar Land Hospital | |||
15.3 | 24.6 | 109 | ![]() ![]() | Former FM 1960 | |||
16.1 | 25.9 | 110 | ![]() | To St. Luke's Sugar Land Hospital | |||
17.3 | 27.8 | 111 | Dairy Ashford Road / Sugar Creek Boulevard | Dairy Ashford Road was formerly Spur 41[41][42] | |||
18.0 | 29.0 | 112 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
Fort Bend–Harris county line | Stafford | 19.0 | 30.6 | 113 | Kirkwood Road / West Airport Boulevard | Signed as exit 114 southbound | |
Harris | Houston | 20.4 | 32.8 | 114 | Wilcrest Drive / Murphy Road (FM 1092 south) / West Bellfort Avenue | Signed as exit 115A southbound | |
21.1 | 34.0 | 115 | ![]() | Signed as exit 115B southbound | |||
21.5 | 34.6 | 115C | ![]() | No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 114) | |||
22.5 | 36.2 | 117 | Bissonnet Street | ||||
23.6– 23.9 | 38.0– 38.5 | 118 | ![]() | To Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital | |||
24.7– 25.1 | 39.8– 40.4 | 119 | Fondren Road / Bellaire Boulevard | ||||
26.3 | 42.3 | 121A | Hillcroft Avenue / Westpark Drive | ||||
27.1 | 43.6 | 121B | ![]() ![]() | Northbound access to eastbound tollway, southbound access to westbound tollway only | |||
27.3 | 43.9 | 121C | Westpark Drive | No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 121A); no access to or from HOV lane (access is via Edloe Street) | |||
27.5 | 44.3 | 122B | Fountainview Drive | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
27.9 | 44.9 | 122A | Chimney Rock Road / Sage Road / South Rice Avenue | Signed as exit 122 northbound | |||
28.9 | 46.5 | 123 | ![]() ![]() | Exits 8A-B on I-610; redesigned stack interchange | |||
29.5 | 47.5 | 124 | Newcastle Drive | No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 125A) | |||
30.1 | 48.4 | 125A | Weslayan Road | ||||
30.6 | 49.2 | 125B | Edloe Street – Buffalo Speedway | Northbound and southbound are signed differently | |||
31.5 | 50.7 | 126A | Kirby Drive | ||||
31.8– 32.0 | 51.2– 51.5 | 126B | Greenbriar Drive / Shepherd Drive | ||||
33.3 | 53.6 | 127B | Richmond Avenue – Downtown Houston | Via Louisiana Street (Spur 527); northbound left exit and southbound entrance | |||
33.5 | 53.9 | 127A | ![]() | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; to Texas Medical Center | |||
33.6 | 54.1 | 128A | ![]() | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; to Texas Medical Center | |||
34.3 | 55.2 | 128B | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
34.9 | 56.2 | 129A | ![]() | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; to St. Joseph Medical Center | |||
35.2 | 56.6 | 129B | ![]() | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; to St. Joseph Medical Center | |||
35.3 | 56.8 | 129A | ![]() ![]() | Exit 46 on I-45; to Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport; signed as exit 129B southbound | |||
35.7 | 57.5 | 130 | Polk Street – Downtown Destinations | Northbound exit only | |||
Texas Avenue; Capitol Avenue | Closed; was southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||||
Runnels Street, Canal Street | Closed; was southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||||
36.9 | 59.4 | 131 | Jackson Street – Downtown Destinations | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
37.4 | 60.2 | 132 | ![]() | Exit 770 on I-10; | |||
37.8– 38.5 | 60.8– 62.0 | 132B | Lyons Avenue / Quitman Street / Liberty Road | Signed as exit 133A southbound | |||
39.2 | 63.1 | 133B | Collingsworth Street / Kelley Street | Signed as exit 133A northbound | |||
39.7 | 63.9 | 134 | Cavalcade Street | No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 133B) | |||
40.2 | 64.7 | 134-135B | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Signed as exits 135A (west) & 135B (east) southbound, exit 134 northbound; exit 20 on I-610; access to Hardy Toll Road via I-610 west | |||
40.6– 41.7 | 65.3– 67.1 | 136 | Crosstimbers Road / Kelley Street | Kelley Street was formerly Loop 137 | |||
42.5 | 68.4 | 137A | Laura Koppe Road | No direct southbound exit (signed at exit 137B) | |||
43.0 | 69.2 | 137B | Tidwell Road / Laura Koppe Road | Signed as exit 137 southbound | |||
43.8 | 70.5 | 138 | Parker Road / Jensen Drive / Saunders Road | ||||
| 44.6 | 71.8 | 139 | Little York Road / Hopper Road | |||
| 45.3 | 72.9 | 140A | Hopper Road | No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 139) | ||
| 46.2 | 74.4 | 140B | East Mount Houston Road | Signed as exit 140 northbound | ||
| 47.1 | 75.8 | 141 | Aldine Mail Route / Lauder Road | |||
| 47.6 | 76.6 | 142 | Lauder Road | No direct northbound exit (signed at exit 141) | ||
| 48.7 | 78.4 | 143A | Old Humble Road / Lee Road (FM 525 Spur) / Homestead Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Houston | 49.1 | 79.0 | 143B | ![]() | Signed as exit 143 southbound | ||
49.8 | 80.1 | 144A | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Signed as exit 144 northbound; access to Sam Houston Tollway (not signed) via Beltway 8 east | |||
50.0 | 80.5 | 144B | ![]() | No direct northbound exit (signed exit 143B) | |||
50.7 | 81.6 | 145 | Greens Road | ||||
Humble | 51.7 | 83.2 | 146 | Rankin Road | |||
53.0 | 85.3 | 147 | ![]() | Formerly Jetero Boulevard[43] | |||
54.3– 54.6 | 87.4– 87.9 | 149 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | To Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital; Business FM 1960 was formerly Loop 184 | |||
55.6 | 89.5 | 150 | Townsen Boulevard | No direct southbound exit (signed at exit 151) | |||
Montgomery | Houston | 56.6 | 91.1 | 151 | ![]() ![]() | ||
58.1 | 93.5 | 152 | Kingwood Drive | ||||
59.3 | 95.4 | 153 | Northpark Drive | ||||
| 61.8 | 99.5 | 156 | ![]() | |||
| 62.9 | 101.2 | 157A | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southbound exit is via exit 157; access to eastbound Grand Parkway (opened in May 2022) via frontage road | ||
| 63.5 | 102.2 | 157B | ![]() ![]() | Northbound exit & entrance flyover ramps | ||
| 63.6 | 102.4 | 157 | ![]() ![]() | Southbound exit & entrance; southbound access to Grand Parkway via frontage road; SH 99 east of I-69/US 59 (Eastex Freeway) opened in May 2022 | ||
| 64.0 | 103.0 | 159A | ![]() | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 65.5 | 105.4 | 159B | ![]() ![]() | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 65.6 | 105.6 | 159 | ![]() ![]() | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; Loop 494 access requires U-turn to go under freeway | ||
Woodbranch | 66.9 | 107.7 | 160 | Roman Forest Boulevard | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
Woodbranch–Patton Village line | 68.5 | 110.2 | 161 | ![]() ![]() | |||
Patton Village | 69.7 | 112.2 | 163 | Creekwood Lane | |||
Splendora | 71.6 | 115.2 | 165 | ![]() | |||
73.1 | 117.6 | 166 | East River Drive | ||||
| 74.60 | 120.06 | 167 | Fostoria Road | No direct southbound exit (signed at exit 169A). | ||
Montgomery–Liberty county line | | 74.61 | 120.07 | – | ![]() ![]() | Current northern terminus of I-69 is 1,640 feet/500 meters up, opened March 2022; US 59 continues north | |
Liberty | | 0.0 | 0.0 | 169A | Mandell Road / Fostoria Road[44] and southbound access to County Road 377 | Exit opened in March 2023; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[25] | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 169 | County Road 377 / County Road 381 / County Road 383[44] | Northbound exit; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[25][44] | ||
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 170 | County Road 381 / County Road 383[44] | Exit opened in March 2023; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[25][44] | ||
Cleveland | 0.0 | 0.0 | 171 | ![]() | Exit opened April 2023; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[25] | ||
0.0 | 0.0 | 172A | ![]() | Completed; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[25] | |||
0.0 | 0.0 | 172B | ![]() ![]() | Exit opened in February 2023; former SH 105; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[25] | |||
0.0 | 0.0 | 173 | ![]() | Exit opened April 2023; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[25] | |||
0.0 | 0.0 | 174 | ![]() | Exit opened; awaiting approval for I-69 designation.[45][46] | |||
San Jacinto | | 0.0 | 0.0 | 175 | Frontage Road / Sherwood Drive[45][46] | Future southbound interchange; northbound Sherwood Drive access via Red Road exit[45][46] | |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 176 | Red Road[45][46] | Future northbound interchange; northbound Sherwood Drive would take this exit and take U-Turn at Red Road[45][46] | ||
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 177 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Completed | ||
Shepherd | *453A* | ![]() ![]() | interchange; *temporary exit number*; signed as *453B* northbound | ||||
*451C* | Frontage Road | Southbound exit only | |||||
*451B* | ![]() ![]() | interchange; signed as exit *451B* northbound; not signed southbound | |||||
![]() | no left turn northbound; intersection to be removed | ||||||
| — | ![]() ![]() | Future interchange | ||||
| — | Frontage Road[47] | Future interchange; northbound exit only | ||||
Trinity River | US 59 Trinity River Bridge | ||||||
Gap in route | |||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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