In preparation for I-27 extension, expect bypass and/or 4-lane upgrades...

[74/171FAN]

A new Mileage Mike video on YouTube about I-27 and the Ports to Plains Corridor was just posted. It has some interesting stuff in it. Considering how things are in New Mexico and Colorado it doesn't look like segments of I-27 will appear outside of Texas any time soon.

FYI

[silverback1065]

I just don't see how this gets built outside of Texas. Especially in Montana and the Dakotas, how do they plan on paying for this? How much traffic would use it to make it even worth building? North Dakota is one of the ruralist states.

[elsmere241]

If I-27 were to be built like that, its entirely could be considered the "most desolate stretch of Interstate".

[Bobby5280]

I could maybe see an I-27 segment starting at Rapid City, SD and going South to Scottsbluff, NB and then to I-80 around Kimball. The Heartland Expressway (SD-79) in South Dakota has been upgraded to a 4-lane divided road. Crossing the border into Nebraska, an I-27 route would probably have to be built on a new alignment to get a straight shot at Scottsbluff.

There is a great deal of oil industry activity in the NW part of North Dakota. Williston is in the heart of it. But the drilling activity is spread out over a large area. A lot of the extracted oil is pumped out via pipelines rather than loaded on trucks or trains.

[Great Lakes Roads]

I don't see I-27 getting built north of Texas, sadly...

Also, the towns in western ND along US 85 are small. (From south to north)
Bowman- 1,470
Amidon- 24
Watford City- 6,207
Alexander- 319
Williston- 29,160

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm not optimistic that it will happen but honestly, I could see Oklahoma going for it. That's if Texas builds it up to the state line. But I'd be pretty surprised to see any movement in New Mexico or Colorado.

[Plutonic Panda]

Here's a Mileage Mike video on it from a couple days ago:

[Bobby5280]

The video was linked earlier up the thread.

I'm not optimistic that it will happen but honestly, I could see Oklahoma going for it. That's if Texas builds it up to the state line. But I'd be pretty surprised to see any movement in New Mexico
or Colorado.

I don't expect Oklahoma to spend any money upgrading US-287 in the Boise City area unless there is an effort on the part of Colorado to improve their portion of US-287 on the other side of the OK/CO border. The existing 2-lane road does need to, at the very least, be upgraded to a 4-lane divided highway. The area around the CO/OK border is dangerous. The hills on the edge of the caprock create blind spots for any vehicles attempting to pass. Head-on collisions are a real risk there. Raton Pass would have to be socked in with a blizzard to make me take US-287 as a second choice route into Colorado.

As it stands, I suspect TX DOT might not build a North extension of I-27 any farther North than Stratford, the town where the 4-lane configuration of US-287 drops down to 2 lanes. I think an I-27 extension to Dumas could happen in the near term, but another phase up to Stratford would probably happen later. TX DOT and the state legislature will probably concentrate I-27 efforts on locations between Lubbock and Laredo.

[Plutonic Panda]

I don't know given Oklahoma's relationship with Texas I could see them going for it if Texas were to build the interstate right up to the state line. I think there's a much better chance of that happening than anything New Mexico might do.

[splashflash]

The video was linked earlier up the thread.

I'm not optimistic that it will happen but honestly, I could see Oklahoma going for it. That's if Texas builds it up to the state line. But I'd be pretty surprised to see any movement in New Mexico
or Colorado.

As it stands, I suspect TX DOT might not build a North extension of I-27 any farther North than Stratford, the town where the 4-lane configuration of US-287 drops down to 2 lanes. I think an I-27 extension to Dumas could happen in the near term, but another phase up to Stratford would probably happen later.

TxDot made US 54 4 lanes divided north of Stafford a few years ago.  I was surprised they didn't do US 287 as well.  The traffic counts are higher on US 54 though and Kansas is widening around Liberal.

[TheBox]

So has the construction on Phase one of I-27 in Midland-Odessa (SH-349 loop) been delayed?
It was supposed to start in September this year


https://www.mrt.com/news/article/initial-work-i-27-along-sh-349-corridor-begin-21061813.php

[JREwing78]

The Dakotas and Nebraska are only involved to assist with receiving Federal funding to 4-lane more sections of the existing highway, and making travel on their portions of the designated corridor more efficient. Nobody is seriously considering their sections will ever amount to full-fledged Interstate status.

From I-70 in Colorado south, there's a realistic chance of the corridor rising to Interstate status; it's already a heavily traveled truck corridor. 

[Great Lakes Roads]

https://www.txdot.gov/content/dam/docs/division/tpp/i-27-advisory-committee/i-27-ac-mtg9-presentation.pdf

On slide 31 of the presentation from September 2025 has this:

What's Next for I-27 Designation?

• TxDOT is currently seeking dual designation for I-27/I-35 in Laredo
• 18.25 miles from the Mexico border and the US 83/I-35 split
• Currently reviewing as-builts and technical reports
• This section corresponds to the Statewide Corridor Ranking #1 based on the I-27 Implementation Plan

[The Ghostbuster]

Maybe Interstate 27 should only be extended on the southern end. It seems more likely to get constructed than the segments north of Amarillo.

[Bobby5280]

I don't know given Oklahoma's relationship with Texas I could see them going for it if Texas were to build the interstate right up to the state line. I think there's a much better chance of that happening than anything New Mexico might do.

If TX DOT extended I-27 up to the OK state line that might be enough to get Oklahoma on board with its portion at least up to Boise City. The Colorado state legislature and CDOT have to start giving more of a damn about head-on collisions on its rural 2-lane roads, such as US-287. If they started putting in at least some effort to 4-lane US-287 in Eastern Colorado then ODOT would do the same to US-287 in Oklahoma.

If I was running ODOT I'd four-lane US-287 from Boise City to the Colorado border regardless of whatever CDOT chose to do. At least get the risk of head on collisions moved over the North side of that border.

TxDot made US 54 4 lanes divided north of Stafford a few years ago.  I was surprised they didn't do US 287 as well.  The traffic counts are higher on US 54 though and Kansas is widening around Liberal.

US-54 going NE of Stratford doesn't become a 4-lane divided road until it crosses the state line into Oklahoma.

[vdeane]

TxDOT is currently seeking dual designation for I-27/I-35 in Laredo

Why?  That's some I-11 in Arizona-level nonsense.

[Bobby5280]

Yeah, I think an I-27 overlap with I-35 to the Mexico border would be a little weird. Over the long term other Interstate highways will converge into the same area. I-2 would eventually end on the Bob Bullock Loop where I-69W would make its turn to the East out of Laredo.

It looks like a new freeway corridor is being established from I-35 at the rapidly growing Travel Centers of America logistical complex and going West to Mines Road. And Mines Road itself looks like it could be turned into a freeway corridor between the North side of Laredo and the Camino-Columbia Road and border crossing.

[Rothman]

I don't know given Oklahoma's relationship with Texas I could see them going for it if Texas were to build the interstate right up to the state line. I think there's a much better chance of that happening than anything New Mexico might do.

If TX DOT extended I-27 up to the OK state line that might be enough to get Oklahoma on board with its portion at least up to Boise City..

Yeah, no.  Have you been to Boise City?  I was just there earlier this year and the locals there feel quite forgotten and ignored from my conversations with them.  The capitol doesn't care about the panhandle.

Heh.  Also reminds me of a good friend of mine from Broken Arrow that talked like the panhandle was the Pit of Despair.

[TheBox]

The idea of dual-designating I-27 with I-35 is way too soon lmao

4-lane divide US-83 all the way to Carrizo Springs, then do the same with US-277 all the way to Eagle Pass  (SL-480) if not Del Rio (SL-79), then we'll talk

[silverback1065]

TxDOT is currently seeking dual designation for I-27/I-35 in Laredo

Why?  That's some I-11 in Arizona-level nonsense.

It's just as absurd as the lettered routes they have planned for 69 and 27.

[kphoger]

US-54 going NE of Stratford doesn't become a 4-lane divided road until it crosses the state line into Oklahoma.

Correct.  It does have some passing lanes, though.

[vdeane]

TxDOT is currently seeking dual designation for I-27/I-35 in Laredo

Why?  That's some I-11 in Arizona-level nonsense.

It's just as absurd as the lettered routes they have planned for 69 and 27.

And I-14.  Does someone in Texas really hate roadgeeks or something?

[TheBox]

TxDOT is currently seeking dual designation for I-27/I-35 in Laredo

Why?  That's some I-11 in Arizona-level nonsense.

It's just as absurd as the lettered routes they have planned for 69 and 27.

And I-14.  Does someone in Texas really hate roadgeeks or something?

They see them as a vocal minority at most

[Molandfreak]

Highlighting just how dumb the I-27N concept is. What, is a suffixed route going to be twice the length of the parent route?

Since Oklahoma and Arkansas were too chicken, maybe Raton to Fort Worth can be I-50. Collect them all, DFW!

[Scott5114]

The capitol doesn't care about the panhandle.

If you were a politician, would you care about a few thousand people, 92% of which uniformly vote for the same party no matter what you do?