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Interstate Highway in South Texas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Interstate 69W (I-69W[lower-alpha 1]) is a relatively short north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas in the United States. The freeway begins northeast of the middle of the World Trade International Bridge in Laredo and ends at I-35. In the future, I-69W will head northeast for 180 miles (290 km) before terminating near Victoria as both I-69E and I-69W merge to form I-69. For its entire length, I-69W runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 59 (US 59).
.svg) Interstate 69W | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Open segment of I-69W highlighted in red; proposed segments highlighted in pink | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route of I-69 | ||||
| Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
| Length | 1.436 mi[1] (2.311 km) | |||
| Existed | June 26, 2014[2]–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end | World Trade Bridge Port of Entry in Laredo | |||
| North end |     I-35 / US 59 / US 83 / Loop 20 in Laredo | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Counties | Webb | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the designation of a 1.4-mile (2.3 km) section of freeway in Laredo as part of I-69W. The congressionally designated I-69W corridor begins at the Mexico–U.S. border on the World Trade International Bridge, which connects to Federal Highway 85D (Fed. 85D), at the border in Laredo. It is cosigned with both US 59 and Loop 20 (Bob Bullock Loop) and extends 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to I-35 (which connects to Fed. 85 south of the border).[2]
When extended, I-69W will follow US 59 serving Freer, George West, and Beeville before terminating with I-69E and both interstates meeting I-69 in Victoria. In George West, I-69W will eventually intersect I-69C then I-69W will intersect I-37 east of George West.
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 included two High Priority Corridors that would later become parts of a proposed cross-country extension of I-69:
The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 made further amendments to the description of Corridor 18, specifying that it would serve Mississippi and Arkansas, extending it south to the Mexico–U.S. border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and adding a short connection at Brownsville. This act also specified that corridors 18 and 20 were "future parts of the Interstate System", to become actual Interstates when built to Interstate standards and connected to other Interstates.[5]
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), enacted in 1998, greatly expanded the extension to the Lower Rio Grande Valley was detailed as splitting into two routes just south of Victoria, one following US 77 and the other following US 59 and US 281 to the Rio Grande. This act also assigned the I-69 designation to corridors 18 and 20, with the branches on US 77, US 281, and US 59 to the Rio Grande being "Interstate 69 East", "Interstate 69 Central", and "Interstate 69 West", respectively.[6] With TEA-21, the I-69 extension took shape and remains today as those segments.[7]
I-69W was designated in June 2014. Prior to January 2020, traffic at Loop 20/US 59 at I-35 junction, traffic had to continue through frontage roads before overpasses was opened.[8] Various improvements from I-35 to where US 59 split from Loop 20 is underway.
In the future, I-69W will continue along US 59 east to George West, where it will intersect I-69C. It will then intersect I-37 east of George West and continue east to Victoria, where it will meet with I-69E and continue toward Houston as I-69. The completed I-69W will measure 180 miles (290 km). There are also plans to turn State Highway 44 (SH 44) into an Interstate Highway between Freer, where it will intersect I-69W, and Corpus Christi for about 73 miles (117 km) in order to have a network of Interstate Highways connecting Laredo, the largest inland port on the Mexico–U.S. border, with Corpus Christi, a major seaport and manufacturing center.[9] Construction to extend I-69W to Laredo International Airport began in early 2024 and will be completed by early 2030.[10] Projects to extend the Interstate to the Duval–McMullen county line are currently in the planning stage but not completely funded. Interstate standard construction plans north of the county line along US 59 have mostly not been released, and the ones that have are not Interstate standard upgrades.[11][12] The US 59 bridge over the San Antonio River is planned to be replaced, it was funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.[13] Upgrades at the I-37 junction and upgrades of US 59 from I-37 to Beeville is planned.[14]
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webb | Laredo | 0.000 | 0.000 | — | International Bridge IV – Mexico | Laredo World Trade Port of Entry; western (southern) end of US 59 overlap / western (northern) end of Loop 20 overlap; road continues into Mexico as Camino al Puente Internacional Comercio Mundial |
| — | Back to USA | Southbound exit only | ||||
| 0.245– 1.169 | 0.394– 1.881 | 1 |  FM 1472 (Mines Road) | |||
| 1.368– 1.436 | 2.202– 2.311 | 2 | I-35 (US 83) – Laredo, San Antonio | Signed as exits 2A (north) and 2B (south) northbound; exit 8A on I-35 | ||
| 2C |  US 59 east (Loop 20 east) | Eastern end of US 59/Loop 20 overlap; US 59/Loop 20 continues east as Bob Bullock Loop; current eastern terminus of I-69W | ||||
| 3.7 | 6.0 | 3 |  McPherson Road[15] | Interchange; westbound exit via the International Boulevard exit; access to Doctors Hospital of Laredo | ||
| 4.7 | 7.6 | 4 | International Boulevard[15] | Interchange | ||
| 6.2 | 10.0 | 6 | Shiloh Drive[15] | Future interchange | ||
| 7.3 | 11.7 | 7 | Del Mar Boulevard[15] | Future interchange | ||
| 8.1 | 13.0 | 8 | University Boulevard – Texas A&M International University[15] | Future interchange | ||
| 9.3 | 15.0 | 9 | Jacaman Road[15] | Future interchange | ||
| 10.5 | 16.9 | 10 |  Laredo International Airport[15] | Future interchange | ||
| 11.5 | 18.5 | 11 |   Loop 20 south (Bob Bullock Loop) / US 59 north (Lloyd Bentsen Highway) / Saunders Street west[15] | Interchange; eastern end of Loop 20 overlap, I-69W will continue north along US 59 north to Victoria, access to Laredo Medical Center | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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