Back in 2020, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, cosponsored Senate Bill 4701 with Former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) , which is the Ports-to-Plains Highway Act, legislation introduced to designate the portion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor from Laredo, Texas up to Denver, Colorado, as a future addition to the interstate highway system.
At the time Sen. Cruz said, “Designating the Ports-to-Plains Corridor as an interstate would have a positive effect on not only the 26 counties along the corridor, but across the entire state of Texas and the country as a whole. No state in the union has more invested in trade with our neighbors than Texas, and due to the USMCA Trade agreement, trade between Mexico and Canada has increased substantially, benefitting Texas farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and small businesses. Upgrading this corridor would allow for millions of dollars in travel savings for businesses and increase access for the 2.2 million Texas jobs dependent on international trade. I look forward to continue to work with my colleagues to ensure Texas, and our country, has the infrastructure needed to keep us fiercely competitive on the international stage.”
On Tuesday August 30, 2022, Sen. Cruz made a stop in Lubbock to speak on the economic impact Interstate 27 will have in the future. The Ports-to-Plains corridor will eventually run from Laredo to Canada, using I-27 as a stepping stone. The push for this expansion has been in the works for more than 25 years and the construction of the project will take even longer. However, Senator Ted Cruz and economic experts believe it will have a huge impact on West Texas trades and goods. According to Sen. Cruz he believes the whole state of Texas will reap the benefits. Before Now TxDOT has to plan out and budget the construction. John Osborne, who serves as the chairman for Ports-to-Plains, says this federal investment will make the roads safer as well.
“And it makes it much more efficient for those trucks that are traveling on those roads, and we know that trucks are sometimes involved in accidents.” Said Osborne. He went on to say how the Port-to-Plains project could help bring tourists to Lubbock. When the corridor is finished it will be a straight shot through the Midwest right to the Hub City. The main goal remains the same though; move goods from the north to the south.
Senator Cruz said, “The construction alone is a $55 billion dollar project. It will produce 178,000 construction jobs many of which will be right here in the great state of Texas.” Senator Cruz also talked about the importance of the tranportation, “Whether it is moving cotton, whether it is moving cattle, whether it is moving oil and gas, whether it is moving people, this ports-to-plains transit is incredibly important to the booming growth we are seeing in West Texas.” said Senator Cruz.
Lauren Garduno, President of Ports-to-Plains says, ” It all involves Texas, but it also includes taking this corridor all the way up to Canada, so it is promoting trade with Canada and Mexico.” So far, President Biden has signed off on the first leg of the trip, but authorization to complete the corridor will require action from future administrations.
The Ports-to-Plains Corridor aims to facilitate an additional key North-South route to bolster the transportation of goods and people. The Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has projected nationwide freight moved by trucks could increase by 44 percent from 2015 levels by 2045, and according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Colorado exported $1.3 billion in goods to Mexico in 2018. Trade between Colorado and Mexico is expected to increase because of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which went into effect on July 1, 2020.
The Ports-to-Plains Corridor is currently designated as a High Priority Corridor on the National Highway System. Previously, the Colorado Department of Transportation joined State Departments of Transportation from Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico in releasing a Corridor Development and Management Plan for Ports-to-Plains.
This bill serves as a companion to H.R. 7151, legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Kay Granger (R-Texas), Former Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.).
