Interstate 69E

Interstate 69E
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Existed:	December 5, 2011 – present
East Rio Grande Valley segment
Length:	53.3 mi[1] (85.8 km)
South end:	US 77 / US 83 / University Blvd. in Brownsville (Will be extended to Mexico border)
Major junctions:	I-169 / SH 550 Toll in Olmito I-2 / US 83 in Harlingen
North end:	US 77 / Bus. US 77 near Raymondville
Southern unbuilt segment
South end:	I-69E south / US 77 south / Bus. US 77 near Raymondville
North end:	I-69E north / US 77 north / SH 44 in Robstown
Corpus Christi area segment
Length:	7.8 mi (12.6 km)
South end:	US 77 / SH 44 in Robstown
North end:	I-37 / US 77 in Corpus Christi
Northern unbuilt segment
South end:	I-69E south / I-37 south / US 77 south in Corpus Christi
Major junctions:	I-37 north near Corpus Christi
North end:	I-69 north / I-69W south / US 59 north / US 77 north in Victoria
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs Park Rec FM

Interstate 69E (I-69E) is a relatively short south–north freeway running through South Texas. Once complete the freeway will begin in Brownsville and head northward before terminating near Victoria as both I-69W and I-69E intersect into Interstate 69 towards Houston. For its entire length, I-69E shares its alignment with US 77.

History

The interchange between I-37 and I-69E/US 77 in Corpus Christi.

A stated goal of Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) I-69 initiative is that "existing suitable freeway sections of the proposed system be designated as I-69 as soon as possible."^[2] 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.

Texas Department of Transportation submitted an application to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to designate 75 miles of US 59 in the Houston area and 8 miles 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 FHWA for a six-mile segment of US 77 between I-37 and SH 44 near Corpus Christi, and was approved by the AASHTO in October 2011.^[3] Officials held a ceremony on December 5, 2011 to unveil I-69 signs on the Robstown-Corpus Christi section.^[4]

The Federal Highway Administration approved the designation for the East Rio Grande Valley Segment on May 24, 2013,^[5] and the Texas Transportation Commission followed suit on May 30, 2013.^[6] This action finalized the designations of not only I-69E, but also of the sections of I-69C from Pharr north to the end of the US 281 freeway facility near Edinburg, and also Interstate 2 (I-2), which is a 46.8-mile (75.3 km) freeway that runs from Palmview to Harlingen and connects with I-69C and I-69E.^[5] These approvals added over 100 miles (160 km) to the Interstate Highway System in the Rio Grande Valley.^[7] The signage was installed in summer 2013.^[8]

As of June 2013, the cluster consisting of the recently designated portions of I-69E, I-69C, and I-2 in the Rio Grande Valley is not connected to the national Interstate network. This situation is slated to be remedied by scheduled projects to complete I-69E along US 77 between Raymondville and Robstown, and to complete the southern end of the previously signed portion of the I-69 corridor connecting with I-37 west of Corpus Christi. Environmental Protection Agency approval for the upgrade of the US 77 alignment to Interstate standards, including bypasses of the towns along the 91-mile (146 km) routing, was obtained through a Finding of No Significant Impact statement issued on July 13, 2012;^[9] funding for the various projects to effect the upgrades is slated to become available after 2015.^[10]

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit[11]	Destinations	Notes
Cameron	Brownsville				US 77 south / US 83 south – Veterans International Bridge	0.1 miles (0.16 km) north of University Boulevard intersection
					Polk Street	southbound exit only
		1.3	2.1	1A	SH 4 (International Boulevard) – International Airport, Gateway International Bridge
		2.3	3.7	1B	12th Street / 14th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		2.6	4.2	1C	6th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		2.7	4.3	2	SH 48 (Boca Chica Boulevard) – Airport
		3.3	5.3	3	Price Road / Old Alice Road
		4.3	6.9	4	Bus. US 77 south / FM 802 (Ruben M. Torres Sr. Boulevard)	Access to Brownsville Baptist Medical Center
		6.0	9.7	5	Pablo Kisel Boulevard / Morrison Road
		6.9	11.1	6	FM 3248 (Alton Gloor Boulevard)	Access to Valley Regional Medical Center
		7.9	12.7	7	Stillman Road / Old Alice Road
		8.9	14.3	8	Merryman Road
		9.8	15.8	9	FM 1732 – Olmito
		10.6	17.1	10A	SH 550 to FM 511 – Port of Brownsville
				10B	I-169 east / SH 550 Toll east – Port of Brownsville	southbound exit and northbound entrance
		11.8	19.0	11	FM 803 – Rancho Viejo
		13.2	21.2	12	Carmen Avenue
		14.2	22.9	13	Roberta Road
		15.3	24.6	14	SH 100 / FM 1421 – South Padre Island
		16.4	26.4	16	Frontage Road
		17.3	27.8	17	Bus. US 77 north / FM 732 – San Benito	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	San Benito	18.6	29.9	18	FM 510 / FM 732 – San Benito
		19.6	31.5	19A	McCulloch Street	no direct southbound exit (signed at exit 19B)
		20.2	32.5	19B	SH 345 / FM 2520 (Sam Houston Boulevard) / Ratliff Street
		21.7	34.9	21	Spur 486 (Williams Road) / Ratliff Street
		22.7	36.5	22	FM 509 (Paso Real Highway)
	Harlingen	23.5	37.8	23A	Loop 499 east (Ed Carey Drive) / FM 801 west – Airport	Access to Valley Baptist Medical Center
		24.7	39.8	23B	New Hampshire Street	no direct northbound exit (signed at exit 23A)
		24.8	39.9	24	FM 1479 (Rangerville Road) / F Street
		25.9	41.7	25	M Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		26.4	42.5	26A	Lincoln Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		26.9	43.3	26B	I-2 west / US 83 west – McAllen	North end of US 83 overlap; I-2 exit 176
		27.0	43.5	26C	Bus. US 83 west (Harrison Avenue) / Tyler Avenue (Spur 206 east)
		28.1	45.2	27	Spur 54 (Fairpark Boulevard) / Bus. US 83 west	no direct northbound exit (signed at exit 26C)
		28.2	45.4	28	FM 2994 (Wilson Road)
	Harlingen-Combes line	28.4	45.7	29A	Bus. US 77 / Loop 499 (Primera Road)
				29B	Bus. US 77 north	only a separate exit northbound
	Combes	29.6	47.6	30	SH 107 / FM 508 – Santa Rosa, Rio Hondo
		30.2	48.6	32	Bus. US 77 south
		31.0	49.9	34	Orphanage Road / V Road
		33.1	53.3	36	Bus. US 77 north – Sebastian
Willacy	Sebastian	35.2	56.6	38	Spur 413 west / FM 2629 east
		37.4	60.2	39	FM 1018
				42A	FM 498 (Parker Road)	no direct southbound exit (signed at exit 42B)
	Lyford	43.2	69.5	42B	Spur 112 (Broadway Street)
				44	Spur 56
		46.1	74.2	45	FM 490
	Raymondville	47.4	76.3	47	FM 3168
		48.5	78.1	48	SH 186 – Raymondville, Port Mansfield
		50.0	80.5	49	FM 1762	no direct northbound exit (signed at exit 51)
		53.3	85.8	51	Bus. US 77 south / Conley Road – Raymondville
Gap in route
Nueces	Robstown				FM 892
		144.0	231.7		SH 44 east – Robstown, Corpus Christi
		145.0	233.4		SH 44 west – Alice
		146.1	235.1		County Road 44	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		147.6	237.5		Bus. US 77 south to SH 44 west / County Road 48 – Robstown, Alice
	Corpus Christi	148.3	238.7		County Road 52	no direct northbound exit (signed at FM 624)
		150.0	241.4		FM 624 (Northwest Boulevard) / Leopard Street
		150.2	241.7		I-37 / US 77 north – San Antonio, Victoria, Corpus Christi	I-37 exit 14
					Sharpsburg Road	northbound exit only
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

• Texas portal
• U.S. Roads portal

References

1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Interstate Highway No. 69-E". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
2. "What's Next for I-69 Texas?". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 2011.
3. "Portion of US 77 Approved as Part of U.S. Interstate System" (Press release). Texas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
4. Clark, Steve (October 30, 2011). "First I-69 signs going up on U.S. 77 in December". Brownsville Herald. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
5. Staff (May 30, 2013). "Interstate 69 Comes to Texarkana and the Valley" (Press release). Alliance for I-69 Texas. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
6. Nino, Mark (May 31, 2013). "Texas Transportation Commission Approves Interstate 69 System". Brownsville, TX: KVEO-TV. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
7. Taylor, Steve (May 30, 2013). "Over 100 Miles of Valley Highways To Be Designated Interstate". Rio Grande Guardian (McAllen, TX). Retrieved July 17, 2013.
8. Janes, Jared (July 15, 2013). "Valley's I-69 signage the latest stop along superhighway dream". The Monitor. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
9. Staff (July 13, 2012). "Agency Gives US 77 Upgrades Final Environmental Clearance" (Press release). Alliance for I-69 Texas. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
10. Clark, Steve (August 8, 2011). "Interstate Link to Valley Moves Closer to Reality, Official Says". Brownsville Herald. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
11. Texas Department of Transportation, plans of proposed highway maintenance contract (1.58 GB ZIP file), December 2014

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Media related to Interstate 69 in Texas at Wikimedia Commons