Interstate 69C | |
---|---|
Route information | |
Maintained by TxDOT | |
Existed: | May 30, 2013 | – present
Central Rio Grande Valley segment | |
Length: | 18 mi (29 km) |
South end: | I-2 / US 83 / US 281 in Pharr |
North end: |
US 281 / Bus. US 281 near Edinburg |
Unbuilt Section | |
South end: |
US 281 south / Bus. US 281 near Edinburg |
North end: | I-69W / US 59 / US 281 north / I-37 in George West |
Highway system | |
Interstate 69C (I-69C) is a south–north freeway running through South Texas. Once complete the freeway (with connections to Mexican Federal Highway 97) will begin at Interstate 2/U.S. Highway 83 in Pharr and head northward before terminating at I-69W/US 59 in George West near I-37. For its entire length, I-69C shares its alignment with US 281.
The Federal Highway Administration approved the designation for the South Rio Grande Valley Segment on May 24, 2013, and the Texas Transportation Commission followed suit on May 30, 2013. This action finalized the designations of not only I-69C, but also of the sections of Interstate 69E (I-69E) from Brownsville north to north of Raymondville, and also Interstate 2 (I-2) which is a 46.8-mile (75.3 km) freeway connecting with I-69C and I-69E in Mission and Harlingen. These approvals added over 100 miles (160 km) to the Interstate Highway System in the Rio Grande Valley. The signage was installed in summer 2013.
As of June 2013[update], the cluster consisting of the recently designated portions of I-69C, I-69E, 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; funding for the various projects to effect the upgrades is slated to become available after 2015. During August 2014, exit numbering began on the south most segment in Edinburg.