South Texas - US67 Corridor Plan

[edwaleni]

Now that the Mexican Federal Government has released the funds to the State of Chihuahua, they are now completing their side of the new double wide Presidio/Ojinaga Bridge over the Rio Grande. This effort is also replacing a rail bridge that was burned down by arsonists many years ago and cut off rail traffic to Mexican pacific ports.

In response, TxDOT released their US-67 Corridor Plan on updates to the route from Presidio north to I-10 near Fort Stockton. Nothing of interstate grade, but several upgrades to support new AADT expected when the new POE is finished on the Mexico side.

https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/el-paso/us67-i10-presidio.html

https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot/get-involved/elp/us-67/corridor%20master%20plan%202020/05120-US%2067%20-%20Appendix%20E.pdf

Traffic on the joint US-67 and US-90 between Marfa and east of Alpine is acute already, TxDOT is projecting a steady increase in AADT on the route now that the new bridge is in place.

[rte66man]

Now that the Mexican Federal Government has released the funds to the State of Chihuahua, they are now completing their side of the new double wide Presidio/Ojinaga Bridge over the Rio Grande. This effort is also replacing a rail bridge that was burned down by arsonists many years ago and cut off rail traffic to Mexican pacific ports.

Interesting read on the South Orient rail line. The bridge discussion and photos begin on page 16:
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/rail/south_orient/inspection/2018.pdf

[edwaleni]

Now that the Mexican Federal Government has released the funds to the State of Chihuahua, they are now completing their side of the new double wide Presidio/Ojinaga Bridge over the Rio Grande. This effort is also replacing a rail bridge that was burned down by arsonists many years ago and cut off rail traffic to Mexican pacific ports.

Interesting read on the South Orient rail line. The bridge discussion and photos begin on page 16:
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/rail/south_orient/inspection/2018.pdf

The South Orient was part of a railroad scheme in 1900 to connect the Mexican Pacific port of Topolobamba to Kansas City. They got as far as Wichita and never reached Kansas City. After the ATSF (Santa Fe) bought them, any plans to KCMO were dropped.  All that is left is the south Texas line, but the line all the way to Topolobamba is still there. The line from San Angelo to Wichita was torn out by Santa Fe.



Why the sudden interest?  More cross border freight between the US and Mexico for one. (KCS is building a second bridge in Laredo). This is why Texas is looking at the road improvements, as they are expecting (over time) more trucks with auto parts coming and going.

Also of interest is commerce coming and going from Chile. We import massive amounts of fruits, flowers, rare earths from Chile and Topolobamba offers a way to get it to the industrial midwest without having to use the Panama Canal or congested ports at San Diego or Long Beach.

Some people think Topolobamba will be a relief port for Asian freight headed to the US, but its too far south. It would take a general strike by the west coast dock workers or an outright revolt by the left coast before anything like that would happen.

[Stephane Dumas]

Now that the Mexican Federal Government has released the funds to the State of Chihuahua, they are now completing their side of the new double wide Presidio/Ojinaga Bridge over the Rio Grande. This effort is also replacing a rail bridge that was burned down by arsonists many years ago and cut off rail traffic to Mexican pacific ports.

Interesting read on the South Orient rail line. The bridge discussion and photos begin on page 16:
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/rail/south_orient/inspection/2018.pdf

The South Orient was part of a railroad scheme in 1900 to connect the Mexican Pacific port of Topolobamba to Kansas City. They got as far as Wichita and never reached Kansas City. After the ATSF (Santa Fe) bought them, any plans to KCMO were dropped.  All that is left is the south Texas line, but the line all the way to Topolobamba is still there. The line from San Angelo to Wichita was torn out by Santa Fe.

I guess Santa Fe Railroad might regret to torn out the line between San Angelo and Wichita now.

As for US-67, I presume then they might plan some bypass for Alpine and Marfa.

[sparker]

Now that the Mexican Federal Government has released the funds to the State of Chihuahua, they are now completing their side of the new double wide Presidio/Ojinaga Bridge over the Rio Grande. This effort is also replacing a rail bridge that was burned down by arsonists many years ago and cut off rail traffic to Mexican pacific ports.

Interesting read on the South Orient rail line. The bridge discussion and photos begin on page 16:
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/rail/south_orient/inspection/2018.pdf

The South Orient was part of a railroad scheme in 1900 to connect the Mexican Pacific port of Topolobamba to Kansas City. They got as far as Wichita and never reached Kansas City. After the ATSF (Santa Fe) bought them, any plans to KCMO were dropped.  All that is left is the south Texas line, but the line all the way to Topolobamba is still there. The line from San Angelo to Wichita was torn out by Santa Fe.

I guess Santa Fe Railroad might regret to torn out the line between San Angelo and Wichita now.

As for US-67, I presume then they might plan some bypass for Alpine and Marfa.

FYI, the portion of US 67 addressed by this plan is also part of High Priority Corridor #56, labeled "La Entrada al Pacifico".  Past Fort Stockton, it uses US 385 as a conduit to Midland/Odessa and I-20; it's considered an adjunct to the P2P concept -- so the project should receive federal funding around 80%.  Re the rail line:  When Santa Fe purchased it during the Depression (at what would be considered a "fire sale") the portion between Dacoma, OK (near the KS line) and Wichita was immediately abandoned, as it duplicated existing Santa Fe trackage north of there, but the rest of the line south to San Angelo was retained and during the height of Permian Basin oil production hosted long trains of tank cars headed for refineries in Wichita, Kansas City, et. al.  By the late 1980's it was replaced by a series of pipelines, with the tracks being taken up by 1994.  It crossed US 287 at Chillicothe; until it was obviated that location featured a large yard usually used for tank car storage.  Got stopped by long slow trains there numerous times en route to visiting relatives in SE OK.  Seemed like Santa Fe assigned their oldest and grungiest locomotives to that tank car service in the '70's and early '80's; it wasn't the most glamorous run, hardly hitting any significant cities.  But it served its purposes until it didn't.