Once they’re done with Amarillo, what’s comes next for I-27? North or South?

[PColumbus73]

At least the 27E/W split follows the same logic as the 35E/W ones, so I don't think that one is the worst thing in the world. All of these suffix spurs are just awful, though.

Dallas & Ft Worth are considerably larger than Midland & Odessa, even at the time I-35E/W came into existence. Secondly, the distance between the downtowns of Midland & Odessa are about half compared to that of Dallas & Ft Worth.

I think it would have been well enough to have I-27 cut through the middle of the two, like along SH 349 and combine Loop 250 & 338 into an I-X27 or X20

[Bobby5280]

The Midland-Odessa metro has a large enough population (nearly 300,000) to justify a direct Interstate link to Lubbock and Amarillo. Big Spring is along the main line of the Ports to Plains Corridor (current US-87, future I-27 or I-27E).

Splitting the difference between Big Spring and Midland wouldn't solve any problems. It would require a new route built mostly on new terrain. Existing TX-137, running from Lamesa down thru Stanton, is a 2 lane route with an assortment of existing properties built close to it.

Existing US-87 from Lamesa thru Big Spring and down to San Angelo is a divided 4-lane highway and can be upgraded in place most of the way. Big Spring has a new freeway bypass. The TX-349 corridor going North of Midland doesn't have much of anything next to it besides the occasional oil pump jack. It can probably be upgraded to Interstate quality on the existing alignment between Lamesa and Midland. Getting an I-27W leg into Midland and to I-20 will be a challenge. Those last few miles will have to be built on a new terrain path.

[PColumbus73]

I think I misinterpreted the graphic as I-27W going to Odessa and I-27E going to Midland.

Understanding that the ship might have sailed and the proposed 27s are what they are, this could be solved by adding an I-23 for the Midland-Odessa branch, a la I-10/12.

Or something like Macon, where I-27 goes to Midland-Odessa while an I-x27 is built as the bypass route.

OR Texas politicians just pick a single mainline corridor.

[vdeane]

At least the 27E/W split follows the same logic as the 35E/W ones, so I don't think that one is the worst thing in the world. All of these suffix spurs are just awful, though.

I'm not really a fan of either, but I think I mind the splits at the end less.  At least then there isn't a break in the "real" route (actually, if they could pick a mainline and leave the suffixes for loops/spurs that don't really fit as a 3di, I think I'd mind them less, probably because it's what I'm used to in NY where suffixes are used for child routes).  I like my routes to be possible to clinch by starting at one end and driving straight to the other.

[Bobby5280]

If the choice was up to me I'd leave the mainline I-27 going thru Big Spring since Midland could (some time in the future) get I-14 ending there. I think chances are between extremely slim and none that western I-14N/S split will ever get built. It's going to be tough enough just funding an Interstate route from San Angelo to Midland. The route that would be "I-27W" from Lamesa to Midland could just be a 3-digit I-x27 route. Either way the route could continue along TX-349 as it loops around the North and West sides of Midland. It would connect to I-20 halfway between Midland and Odessa. That might even allow for a re-naming of the TX-191 freeway between Midland and Odessa as another I-x27 route.

[PColumbus73]

I feel like the I-14S route should be killed or shortened to connect Junction to mainline I-14. I think it's a waste of resources to have parallel interstate highways within 15-20 miles of one another in rural West Texas.

I agree if Midland-Odessa gets I-14; they should be satisfied if I-27 misses them and gets an X27 instead. I-27W looks like it would have a dead-end overlap south of I-20, so it would save an unnecessary route.

[jtespi]

Sorry it's a bit of old news, but I wanted to post it in case someone missed it. I was going to post it 2 weeks ago but the forum was down.

The Virtual Public Meeting (#2) for the Amarillo to Dumas Study is available unlisted on TxDOT's YouTube page (linked below).