Inaugural I-27 Advisory Board Meeting Held in Laredo

The meeting focused on an inception phase of the project where the various city and county entities met for the first time regarding the highway. They discussed what the artery meant to their individual areas, how goals could be achieved faster, and what challenges they might face.

During the meeting, some of the top local officials present were Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, Laredo City Mayor Pete Saenz, Lubbock City Mayor Dan Pope, and many others. .

“This was the first-ever meeting of the I-27 advisory committee as structured by TxDOT, so there is now legislative approval to move forward with the I-27 effort,” said Teclo Garcia, Director of Economic Development for the City of Laredo. “We were very, very proud to have it in Laredo rather than anywhere else along the I-27 route. That says a lot for Laredo, because we emphasize that this highway starts in Laredo – it does not end in Laredo but rather is where it begins.

Garcia says the Ports-to-Planes organization has been at the forefront of helping the cities of Laredo, Lubbock, Amarillo and others and their respective counties be able to make these meetings and the eventual construction of the new highway a reality. He says the organization drew up the legislation, did studies on where the highway would go and lobbied for it to be done.

He now says the I-27 project has been officially approved, the organization is working with TxDOT to move the freeway forward.

He says that during this first meeting, little work was done. It only focused on presenting the main actors involved in the highway and what each actor wanted for their city. Nonetheless, Garcia said the event helped define the mission of what the leaders wanted to do for their respective fields.

“We talked about the different needs of each city,” Garcia said. “Laredo is a port town, San Angelo is in the middle of the state, Midland is an oil town – so we talked about that in general terms, which is why these committees exist and set out the priorities that we will have to It was good to have the elected leaders there…to give him that kind of direction, and so we’re going to work on that in the future.

Garcia says the new highway is not just about freight transportation, but also about economic development, which a former TxDOT official says is a high priority.

“This new highway is obviously for mobility and transportation, but our very goal is economic development,” Garcia said. “We can move goods in and out of Texas to Mexico and from Mexico to Texas, and that would include the energy sectors in the Midland and Odessa region, the agricultural sectors in the Panhandle, the international trade zones at Eagle Pass and Laredo. Carrying goods from Mexico to Laredo and west, this route will be a very good conduit to Laredo, Eagle Pass and the border to Midland-Odessa, to the Panhandle and then to Denver.

Garcia said Denver is a major area that has yet to be fully explored by the city, allowing it to finally tap into that market. He also said the new highway will help develop faster routes to the El Paso area, which will only increase trade between Mexico, Texas and the United States.

Moving goods in a timely and efficient manner is important, but Garcia said the highway will also help increase local investment and create more jobs.

Even though the construction of the new highway has not yet started, investing in the region has already paid off. The Viva Fresh Produce Expo produce event was held on Friday to showcase several wholesalers from Texas, Mexico and other locations, as they seek to invest and also find ways to transport their goods from Mexico and beyond. elsewhere via Laredo.

Garcia says more of these exhibits and events could be possible with the construction of the new highway, as investors will see how it provides a new gateway into the city and beyond.

“This event is aligned with the new highway and is part of Laredo’s strategy to focus on cold storage,” Garcia said. “We’re trying to drive more traffic to Laredo.”