US-277 potential intrastate standard corridor between Abilene and Wichita Falls

[Bobby5280]

Here is another example. There are no "official" proposals to convert either US-290 or TX-71 between Austin and Houston into signed Interstate highways. The same goes for US-290 going out the West side of the Austin metro to the US-281 corridor. Nevertheless, chances are very high those corridors are going to slowly transition into becoming Interstate-quality freeways, whether they're bestowed Interstate numbers or not. The increasing levels of traffic congestion and worsening safety issues is forcing TX DOT to build ever more grade separation projects at intersections along TX-71 and US-290 East of Austin. Those spot upgrades will eventually accumulate into longer stretches of freeway. At some point it will all end up being limited access just out of circumstance. They're attacking US-290 West of Austin in larger whole chunks (next stop Dripping Springs in this case).

Should all discussion of those corridors be confined to the Fictional board rather than this Mid-South board where most Texas road topics are discussed?

[CoreySamson]

This thread does straddle the line between Mid-South and Fictional, but I don't think that this thread belongs in fictional. If you scroll down to page 30 on Texas' 2050 transportation plan below, you will find US 277 listed as an important corridor in the Texas Trunk System:

https://www.txdot.gov/content/dam/docs/projects/slrtp/connecting-texas-2050-slrtp-508c.pdf

I don't think this merits speculation about plans for a potential interstate or freeway upgrade, but it does show that some upgrades are in the works for this route, which could merit a thread (emphasis on could).

[Bobby5280]

Even though chances are slim US-277 from Wichita Falls to Abilene would be upgraded to full limited access the possibility for such a thing happening in the future is still plausible.

US-277 was upgraded from Wichita Falls to Anson as part of that Texas Trunk System effort. If the forecasts of population growth and traffic growth in the Texas Triangle and other parts of the state turn out to be accurate Texas' highway network will need much better relief routes. A great deal of commercial traffic will increasingly look for alternatives to I-35. I think US-281 and US-82 will become vital relief routes for the Austin and DFW metro areas.

Possible future industrial growth in Mexico may also dramatically increase the amounts of traffic on Texas' highways, particularly those which connect directly to border cities -such as US-277 and Del Rio. The leg from San Angelo to Del Rio is already part of the Future I-27 plan. Coming up from San Angelo US-277 points into I-44. That Interstate isn't very major at all between OKC and Wichita Falls, but I-44 is a pretty serious corridor from OKC to St Louis.

The main problem for US-277 in Texas is there are too many other corridors in greater need of improvements.

[vdeane]

TXDOT studying upgrades to the US 277 corridor?  That's real.  Pontificating about whether it should be numbered I-32 or something else?  That's fictional.

[Bobby5280]

So far the only "pontificating" that has been happening in regard to that stretch of US-277 is notions of extending I-44 to Abilene (or farther to San Angelo and Future I-27). Not a very likely thing. But it is plausible in a long term view. There have been lawmakers in Oklahoma who have wanted to see I-44 extended at least to Abilene so it would connect into I-20. That was part of the idea of signing I-44 down to Wichita Falls in the early 1980's. But politicians in Oklahoma have only so much influence on their peers in Texas. If Mexico can overcome some of its problems (and if a bunch of Americans can stop doing so much illegal drugs) that nation will boom and make traffic on US-277 a whole lot more busy.

The "I-32" thing is more related to US-287.