I-69 in TX

[jgb191]

The El Campo stretch is only four lanes wide; meanwhile the official I-69 sections are six (or more) lanes wide.  Are they going to expand the (relatively) recently reconstructed El Campo bypass to six lanes or is I-69 doing to drop down to just four lanes?

They should have signed I-69E as soon as the Driscoll relief route was opened.

[Great Lakes Roads]

The El Campo stretch is only four lanes wide; meanwhile the official I-69 sections are six (or more) lanes wide.  Are they going to expand the (relatively) recently reconstructed El Campo bypass to six lanes or is I-69 doing to drop down to just four lanes?

They should have signed I-69E as soon as the Driscoll relief route was opened.

It's six lanes down to FM 102 interchange in Wharton. South of FM 102 interchange is going to remain at four lanes with frontage roads and upgraded interchanges.

[jgb191]

It's six lanes down to FM 102 interchange in Wharton. South of FM 102 interchange is going to remain at four lanes with frontage roads and upgraded interchanges.

So that means the El Campo wouldn't need much work done if at all....it's already mostly up to interstate standards.

[Bobby5280]

I think El Campo is far enough away from the Houston metro that the exiting 2x2 lanes configuration should be good enough years into the future. TX DOT just needs to make sure there is enough ROW to be able to upgrade to a 3x3 setup a decade or more later.

For now, I think they need to concentrate on eliminating at-grade intersections and driveways along US-59 between El Campo and Victoria. A more ambitious 3x3 lanes upgrade would push completion of I-69 between Houston and Victoria farther off into the future.

Victoria has its own set of problems. Not much of the existing loop meets current Interstate standards. It looks like nearly all of it will need to be re-built since Victoria is the junction point for I-69E and I-69W.

I'm wondering if the plans are to upgrade US-59 in a linear manner farther Southwest and once it reaches Victoria then all that work on the Victoria loop will be completed. That's probably going to be well into the 2030's.

[TheBox]

I think El Campo is far enough away from the Houston metro that the exiting 2x2 lanes configuration should be good enough years into the future. TX DOT just needs to make sure there is enough ROW to be able to upgrade to a 3x3 setup a decade or more later.

For now, I think they need to concentrate on eliminating at-grade intersections and driveways along US-59 between El Campo and Victoria. A more ambitious 3x3 lanes upgrade would push completion of I-69 between Houston and Victoria farther off into the future.

Victoria has its own set of problems. Not much of the existing loop meets current Interstate standards. It looks like nearly all of it will need to be re-built since Victoria is the junction point for I-69E and I-69W.

I'm wondering if the plans are to upgrade US-59 in a linear manner farther Southwest and once it reaches Victoria then all that work on the Victoria loop will be completed. That's probably going to be well into the 2030's.

I might just be me, but I think it looks lo there seems to be enough ROW the be space for direct no connectors between I-69/US-59 and the eastern end of the loop

[jgb191]

I think El Campo is far enough away from the Houston metro that the exiting 2x2 lanes configuration should be good enough years into the future. TX DOT just needs to make sure there is enough ROW to be able to upgrade to a 3x3 setup a decade or more later.

For now, I think they need to concentrate on eliminating at-grade intersections and driveways along US-59 between El Campo and Victoria. A more ambitious 3x3 lanes upgrade would push completion of I-69 between Houston and Victoria farther off into the future.

The many truck traffic creates slow downs to where a third lane in each direction could help maintain the flow.  Victoria itself will certainly need to be six-laned sooner than later.

Victoria has its own set of problems. Not much of the existing loop meets current Interstate standards. It looks like nearly all of it will need to be re-built since Victoria is the junction point for I-69E and I-69W.

I'm wondering if the plans are to upgrade US-59 in a linear manner farther Southwest and once it reaches Victoria then all that work on the Victoria loop will be completed. That's probably going to be well into the 2030's.

I'll agree with you there, Victoria does need a lot of work; other than the interchange with Loop 463 and TX-185, the relatively newer overpasses were built too narrow.

And it does look like they are working their way southwest.  The way I remember it was that the US-59 Lloyd Bentsen/Southwest Freeway reconstruction originally began last millennium in the early 1990's starting with the upgrade of the inside the Tollway stretch, then the construction of the Beltway 8/SH Tollway interchange in the latter half of the 1990's, then worked their way into Stafford during the turn of the century and Sugar Land during the 2000s decade, then through Richmond/Rosenburg early 2010's, then the rest of Ft. Bend County in the second-half of the 2010's, and now through Wharton county this decade 2020's.

I don't remember too much about the history of the Eastex Freeway (north of Houston), but if I remember correctly that freeway in the 1980's looked nothing like it does in this century.

[Bobby5280]

From El Campo to Victoria they not only need to remove a lot of at-grade intersections and driveways, but many of the exit ramps at existing interchanges are sub-standard and need replacement. That will be costly.

If a 3x3 lanes configuration is an ultimate goal perhaps they could at least build any replacement bridges where they could support a proper 3x3 configuration. Stripe them as 2x2 for the time being and then upgrade the roadways between the bridges to 3x3 at a later time.

A good amount of the Victoria loop, particularly the Northern portion, will need to be re-built in a 3x3 configuration. I imagine there would be quite a bit of truck traffic moving along I-69W. Laredo has the most commercial traffic of any inland port of entry in the US.

[Thegeet]

The one question that remains is: when will Jackson County see a project? As far as I know, they haven't even done a study on that.

They should have signed I-69E as soon as the Driscoll relief route was opened.

Also agree. In fact, they could theoretically have been signed by now. The only problem is a median issue, which I cannot remember where it was identified.

[jlwm]

And it does look like they are working their way southwest.  The way I remember it was that the US-59 Lloyd Bentsen/Southwest Freeway reconstruction originally began last millennium in the early 1990's starting with the upgrade of the inside the Tollway stretch, then the construction of the Beltway 8/SH Tollway interchange in the latter half of the 1990's, then worked their way into Stafford during the turn of the century and Sugar Land during the 2000s decade, then through Richmond/Rosenburg early 2010's, then the rest of Ft. Bend County in the second-half of the 2010's, and now through Wharton county this decade 2020's.

I don't remember too much about the history of the Eastex Freeway (north of Houston), but if I remember correctly that freeway in the 1980's looked nothing like it does in this century.

The reconstruction of the SW Fwy inside BW 8 started in the late '80s. The interchange with the Sam Houston Tollway opened initially with two flyover ramps in 1988. The rest of the ramps were completed in 1997.

As for the Eastex Freeway, I barely have memories of what it was like pre-widening, but it was largely a first generation 1950s freeway. It was 3x3 from I-10 to Laura Koppe and 2x2 north of Laura Koppe.

[jgb191]

The one question that remains is: when will Jackson County see a project? As far as I know, they haven't even done a study on that.

As far as I can tell, Edna doesn't need very much work if at all.  Even road maps have had Edna indicated as limited-access, and it looks practically interstate standards from the county airport to the Lavaca River.  And then remove the few at-grade crossovers around the FM-234 interchanges; I count only three or four crossovers between Edna and Inez.  Then it wouldn't take much to bring that stretch to interstate standards.

[Bobby5280]

One problem with the US-59 freeway in Edna: the on/off ramps at multiple locations are outdated in design. Not only might TX DOT choose to re-build those ramps, but they might even be reversed in terms of their on/off configuration.

Another problem: the inner left shoulders appear to be too narrow.

In either situation, US-59 in Edna does not connect to any existing signed segment of I-69, so the freeway wouldn't be able to be signed as I-69 even if the entire Edna bypass met current Interstate standards.

[TheBox]

So how is I-69 / US-59 at Redland, north of Lufkin?

[Thegeet]

The one question that remains is: when will Jackson County see a project? As far as I know, they haven't even done a study on that.

As far as I can tell, Edna doesn't need very much work if at all.  Even road maps have had Edna indicated as limited-access, and it looks practically interstate standards from the county airport to the Lavaca River.  And then remove the few at-grade crossovers around the FM-234 interchanges; I count only three or four crossovers between Edna and Inez.  Then it wouldn't take much to bring that stretch to interstate standards.

I'm actually d"esperate. desperate. oh, i need heaven, i need heaven and i'm." to see them work on Ganado, which has all the better reason to see construction sometime soon.  The fact that it remains untouched is quite inexplicable.

[bwana39]

So how is I-69 / US-59 at Redland, north of Lufkin?

I was through there a couple of weeks ago. The work is going. One carriageway has 2 sb lanes adn one nb lane. The other NB lane is on the service road. NB traffic going to the Love's truck stop has to get on the service road a couple of miles back. The work is going on steadily. It does not compare to the drag in Nacogdoches.

[Bobby5280]

So how is I-69 / US-59 at Redland, north of Lufkin?

The short segment from the US-59/US-69 interchange to the FM-2021 exit is still under construction. This is visible in Google Street View imagery dated 6/2026. No construction is visible North of the FM-2021 exit. I think improvements in Lufkin & Nacogdoches are going to continue piece-meal style until the I-69 work farther South catches up to those areas.

I'm actually d"esperate. desperate. oh, i need heaven, i need heaven and i'm." to see them work on Ganado, which has all the better reason to see construction sometime soon.  The fact that it remains untouched is quite inexplicable.

US-59 in Ganado has the same design issues as Edna. Toss in the towns of Louise and Hillje for good measure.

Check out the historical imagery slider in Google Earth for El Campo. Some recent work done on US-59 there should provide some clues on ramp improvements needed in Edna, Ganado and various other locations along US-59. I don't think work in El Campo is finished either. Not all of the outdated exit ramps have been removed. There still may be work needed on the US-59 main lanes. However, work on the main lanes may be delayed until projects in Wharton and Pierce are finished.

[Great Lakes Roads]

MORE RELIEF ROUTES – TxDOT's 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) includes funding allocations to build or complete five more relief routes on the I-69 corridor. There are still more than 70 stoplights on the segments of US 59, US 77, US 281 and SH 44 that make up the I-69 System in Texas. In most cases relief routes will divert traffic to the edge of communities and leave existing streets intact along with stoplights that are important to local traffic safety. Work will begin in 2027 on the Sinton Relief Route and in 2028 on the Marshall Relief Route, a multi-phase project that will take traffic around 12 traffic lights. Construction is expected to start on extensive US 77 relief routes at Refugio (5 stoplights) in 2031 and Odem (3 stoplights and a rail crossing) in 2034.

I-69 relief route projects are currently under construction in Laredo, Alice, Riviera, Wharton, Corrigan and Nacogdoches. The 6.5-mile-long new location Corrigan project began in 2022 and is due for completion in 2028. The single traffic light in Corrigan has been a headache for East Texas traffic for decades particularly during storm evacuations. It is the last US 59/I-69 stoplight for 275 miles between Lufkin and Goliad in South Texas. The Riviera project on US 77/I-69E started in 2025 and will bypass the last remaining traffic light between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Planning is underway for the Odem relief route that will include a key I-69E interchange with I-37 just north of the Nueces River.

[jgb191]

MORE RELIEF ROUTES – TxDOT's 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) includes funding allocations to build or complete five more relief routes on the I-69 corridor. There are still more than 70 stoplights on the segments of US 59, US 77, US 281 and SH 44 that make up the I-69 System in Texas. In most cases relief routes will divert traffic to the edge of communities and leave existing streets intact along with stoplights that are important to local traffic safety. Work will begin in 2027 on the Sinton Relief Route and in 2028 on the Marshall Relief Route, a multi-phase project that will take traffic around 12 traffic lights. Construction is expected to start on extensive US 77 relief routes at Refugio (5 stoplights) in 2031 and Odem (3 stoplights and a rail crossing) in 2034.

I-69 relief route projects are currently under construction in Laredo, Alice, Riviera, Wharton, Corrigan and Nacogdoches. The 6.5-mile-long new location Corrigan project began in 2022 and is due for completion in 2028. The single traffic light in Corrigan has been a headache for East Texas traffic for decades particularly during storm evacuations. It is the last US 59/I-69 stoplight for 275 miles between Lufkin and Goliad in South Texas. The Riviera project on US 77/I-69E started in 2025 and will bypass the last remaining traffic light between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Planning is underway for the Odem relief route that will include a key I-69E interchange with I-37 just north of the Nueces River.

They needed to make it more clear as to which bypasses are being (or will be) newly built:  Riviera, Odem, Refugio; and which ones are already existing but are being (or will be) upgraded:  Sinton (future) & Wharton (now).  In the case of Alice it is both, there will be a future new bypass (TX-44), and an existing one being upgraded (US-281/I-69C).

[thisdj78]

MORE RELIEF ROUTES – TxDOT's 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) includes funding allocations to build or complete five more relief routes on the I-69 corridor. There are still more than 70 stoplights on the segments of US 59, US 77, US 281 and SH 44 that make up the I-69 System in Texas. In most cases relief routes will divert traffic to the edge of communities and leave existing streets intact along with stoplights that are important to local traffic safety. Work will begin in 2027 on the Sinton Relief Route and in 2028 on the Marshall Relief Route, a multi-phase project that will take traffic around 12 traffic lights. Construction is expected to start on extensive US 77 relief routes at Refugio (5 stoplights) in 2031 and Odem (3 stoplights and a rail crossing) in 2034.

I-69 relief route projects are currently under construction in Laredo, Alice, Riviera, Wharton, Corrigan and Nacogdoches. The 6.5-mile-long new location Corrigan project began in 2022 and is due for completion in 2028. The single traffic light in Corrigan has been a headache for East Texas traffic for decades particularly during storm evacuations. It is the last US 59/I-69 stoplight for 275 miles between Lufkin and Goliad in South Texas. The Riviera project on US 77/I-69E started in 2025 and will bypass the last remaining traffic light between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Planning is underway for the Odem relief route that will include a key I-69E interchange with I-37 just north of the Nueces River.

They needed to make it more clear as to which bypasses are being (or will be) newly built:  Riviera, Odem, Refugio; and which ones are already existing but are being (or will be) upgraded:  Sinton (future) & Wharton (now).  In the case of Alice it is both, there will be a future new bypass (TX-44), and an existing one being upgraded (US-281/I-69C).

Where can I read up on the SH-44 bypass? Tried searching for it and keep getting US281 info.

[jgb191]

MORE RELIEF ROUTES – TxDOT's 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) includes funding allocations to build or complete five more relief routes on the I-69 corridor. There are still more than 70 stoplights on the segments of US 59, US 77, US 281 and SH 44 that make up the I-69 System in Texas. In most cases relief routes will divert traffic to the edge of communities and leave existing streets intact along with stoplights that are important to local traffic safety. Work will begin in 2027 on the Sinton Relief Route and in 2028 on the Marshall Relief Route, a multi-phase project that will take traffic around 12 traffic lights. Construction is expected to start on extensive US 77 relief routes at Refugio (5 stoplights) in 2031 and Odem (3 stoplights and a rail crossing) in 2034.

I-69 relief route projects are currently under construction in Laredo, Alice, Riviera, Wharton, Corrigan and Nacogdoches. The 6.5-mile-long new location Corrigan project began in 2022 and is due for completion in 2028. The single traffic light in Corrigan has been a headache for East Texas traffic for decades particularly during storm evacuations. It is the last US 59/I-69 stoplight for 275 miles between Lufkin and Goliad in South Texas. The Riviera project on US 77/I-69E started in 2025 and will bypass the last remaining traffic light between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Planning is underway for the Odem relief route that will include a key I-69E interchange with I-37 just north of the Nueces River.

They needed to make it more clear as to which bypasses are being (or will be) newly built:  Riviera, Odem, Refugio; and which ones are already existing but are being (or will be) upgraded:  Sinton (future) & Wharton (now).  In the case of Alice it is both, there will be a future new bypass (TX-44), and an existing one being upgraded (US-281/I-69C).

Where can I read up on the SH-44 bypass? Tried searching for it and keep getting US281 info.

Our local papers the Caller had been talking about it many years ago about proposals to bypass around Alice and Robstown to help expedite the drive, probably saving over a half-hour, between Corpus Christi and Laredo....it was supposed to be a major freeway (if not an interstate) between the two metros but then the I-69W plans gained momentum seemed to have put those plans on hold for now.

[Thegeet]

MORE RELIEF ROUTES – TxDOT's 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) includes funding allocations to build or complete five more relief routes on the I-69 corridor. There are still more than 70 stoplights on the segments of US 59, US 77, US 281 and SH 44 that make up the I-69 System in Texas. In most cases relief routes will divert traffic to the edge of communities and leave existing streets intact along with stoplights that are important to local traffic safety. Work will begin in 2027 on the Sinton Relief Route and in 2028 on the Marshall Relief Route, a multi-phase project that will take traffic around 12 traffic lights. Construction is expected to start on extensive US 77 relief routes at Refugio (5 stoplights) in 2031 and Odem (3 stoplights and a rail crossing) in 2034.

I-69 relief route projects are currently under construction in Laredo, Alice, Riviera, Wharton, Corrigan and Nacogdoches. The 6.5-mile-long new location Corrigan project began in 2022 and is due for completion in 2028. The single traffic light in Corrigan has been a headache for East Texas traffic for decades particularly during storm evacuations. It is the last US 59/I-69 stoplight for 275 miles between Lufkin and Goliad in South Texas. The Riviera project on US 77/I-69E started in 2025 and will bypass the last remaining traffic light between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Planning is underway for the Odem relief route that will include a key I-69E interchange with I-37 just north of the Nueces River.

Surprisingly enough, Ganado isn't on the list.