Texas DOT Unveils First Interstate 69 Signs

Texas and federal transportation officials unveiled Monday a highway sign in Robstown marking the first segment of Interstate 69 in Texas — and the first new interstate highway in the state since 1992.Following the necessary approvals from the Federal Highway Administration and American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, the Texas Transportation Commission gave final approval Oct. 27 to designate the first segment of I-69. That segment is concurrently designated with U.S. 77 for 6.2 miles from Texas 44 in Robstown to Interstate 37 near Corpus Christi.

“The support of federal, state, and local officials and partners like the Alliance for I-69 is instrumental in bringing I-69 to Texas,” Texas Transportation Commissioner Fred Underwood said in a statement. “This is a proud first step in bringing expanded economic opportunity to the Coastal Bend and South Texas regions, and I expect we’ll bring these same economic opportunities to other parts of the state.”

The Texas Department of Transportation is installing 10 overhead freeway guide signs and numerous route markers at intersections leading to the newly designated segment of I-69. Sign installation will be complete by mid-December.

“Official designation of the first segment of I-69 in Texas is a huge milestone in the project’s development and is a visible sign of the progress being made,” Polk County Judge John Thompson, chairman of the Alliance for I-69 Texas, said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our partners to complete additional segments of I-69.”

Portions of I-69 also exist in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The eventual goal is for I-69 to link the Canadian border at Port Huron, Michigan, with the Mexican border at Brownsville, Texas. I-69 was identified by Congress as a Federal High Priority Corridor in 1991.