MIDLAND, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) participated in a press conference yesterday, hosted by the Midland Odessa Transportation Alliance (MOTRAN). Sen. Cruz joined local leaders and stakeholders to discuss the I-27 Numbering Act of 2023, which passed the Senate unanimously and was recently signed into law by President Biden.
During the press conference, Sen. Cruz said, “Every day in the Senate I view my job as fighting for the men and women of West Texas. … I think infrastructure dollars need to flow where need is, and need is out here. Need in terms of population, in terms of commerce, in terms of agriculture, in terms of livestock, in terms of oil and gas, the need is here. … I-27 will run from Laredo, all the way north through West Texas, through the Panhandle, and up through Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and ultimately all the way up to Canada. … TXDOT conducted a comprehensive study of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor and they found that upgrades would result in a 76 percent return on investment, $3.4 billion in annual travel cost savings, 17,710 new jobs, and a $2.2 billion annual increase in state GDP. You want to talk about having an impact on this community, this new infrastructure will have that.”
Watch Sen. Cruz’s remarks below:
BACKGROUND:
- Cruz received bipartisan support for an amendmenthe introduced alongside Sen. Luján in 2022 to designate I-27, part of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, as a future addition to the interstate highway system. It will positively impact 26 counties in Texas by upgrading parts of this critical highway system and improving roadways that Texas farmers and ranchers need to get their products to market faster.
- Cruz led a bipartisan coalition of Texas lawmakers and secured language in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024 to streamline the presidential permitting processfor building key bridges across the Rio Grande in Brownsville, Laredo, and Eagle Pass, Texas. The bill was signed into law by President Biden.
- Cruz workedwith a Democrat colleague to designate the Interstate 14 extension as a high priority project, a major victory that will benefit the entire Permian Basin region.