TxDOT makes U.S. 281 upgrades a top priority

No one is sure yet exactly how improvements to U.S. 281 will be funded.

But whatever the eventual source, the project is already green-lighted.

State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said Wednesday the state will prioritize four projects to bring the highway up to interstate standards and create a nonstop expressway along the trade corridor.

The projects will likely be funded through $2.4 billion the state expects to receive for road projects in Congress' economic stimulus package. But the initiative could also be funded through a combination of bonds, the state gasoline tax, automobile registration fees or small tolls for semitrailers that travel the route.

Hinojosa is confident improvements are on tap after he secured commitments this week from several key figures, including Gov. Rick Perry and Texas Transportation Commission Chairwoman Deirdre Delisi.

The commitment ends a lengthy lobbying process for the Rio Grande Valley's congressional delegation, which continually pushed for the bypasses and overpasses through Falfurrias, Ben Bolt, Premont and George West.

Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas said work in Falfurrias could start by June. Five overpasses there costing $88 million are planned to more smoothly move traffic through the city.

"I don't see us not getting these projects done," Salinas said. "Once they start being specific about dates, I think that's a good sign."

FUNDING SOURCES

Part of the funding for the U.S. 281 projects is slated to come through the economic stimulus package, said TxDOT spokesman Chris Lippincott. State dollars should eventually make up part of the funding mix.

TxDOT compiled a $10 billion list of "shovel-ready" projects it submitted to the federal government when it was first mapping out plans for the stimulus package.

But Lippincott said there was more need than resources when the agency started paring down the list to fit the amount of funds expected from the stimulus package.

The U.S. 281 improvements were one project that officials consistently categorized as a priority.

The overpasses and bypasses along the highway should improve mobility for South Texas drivers by reducing bottlenecks, Lippincott said. The improvements also should make the road safer.

The economic stimulus package has provided the state one of the best chances it has had to upgrade the highway, Lippincott said. But even if the stimulus measure were to fall apart, other funding sources such as the gasoline tax would be used for the project.

"We have been looking for opportunities to advance those projects for a long time," Lippincott said. "In an era of reduced resources, those opportunities don't come to us every day."

ECONOMIC GROWTH

The state's commitment to the project rewards years of effort by Hinojosa, an early supporter of the initiative who helped organize a coalition of county judges and community leaders along the corridor.

Hinojosa sold the U.S. 281 project to state officials by highlighting the highway's impact on the economic development of not only this region but the entire state.

U.S. 281 carries about 1,300 trucks per day and is Texas' third-busiest North American Free Trade Agreement corridor.

Hinojosa credited Delisi, the Transportation Commission chairwoman, for listening to the pitch and committing to the project.

"When she saw the numbers in terms of the commerce and the economic benefit from NAFTA, she saw it needed to be a priority," he said. "She responded."

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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.