I-69 in TX

[MaxConcrete]

Bids were opened this week to upgrade a 3.5-mile-long section of US 281 (I-69C) to freeway standards on the north side of the Rio Grande Valley. Specifically, from 3.9 miles north of SH 186 to 7.4 miles north of SH 186.

Looking at the plans, the existing northbound lanes will become the northbound frontage road. A new southbound frontage road will be built on the western edge of the right-of-way, and 2x2 barrier-separated (no median) main lanes will be built between the frontage roads.

Estimate: $73.9 million
Low bid: $62.1 million by IOC Company LLC

[Thegeet]

Somewhere in Texas, I think on I-10 in a rural area, there's a long frontage road that ends ...

Take your pick...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/32CgHz46vbxWGNp3A
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cbWdMNyPLfBYKmCr7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TwEbvsMnKQfCSF8d7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GFsx5ZN3y8x3DrZb7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/G4nboJqsNAfdtVv27
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MK5dAV7mYewZSk3v5
https://maps.app.goo.gl/c8hCccKPycBjczUe7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ftz9VW4iycC5krsEA
https://maps.app.goo.gl/trKQvXmnGakXZ7uGA

Oh no, it can't be an Interstate now! 

All of them they can just make merge lanes, where they merge into the mainlanes.

[splashflash]

Nocagdoches relief route drone flyover.  The first in 5 months.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oNQKXPXGTNQ

[TheBox]

Nocagdoches relief route drone flyover.  The first in 5 months.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oNQKXPXGTNQ

Whenever they're finally done with this and the Texarkana I-30/I-369 intersection, never let them cook anything highway related again.

2 words, development hell

That aside, it finally looks like it's almost done (like it should've been several years ago)

[CoreySamson]

Nocagdoches relief route drone flyover.  The first in 5 months.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oNQKXPXGTNQ

That aside, it finally looks like it's almost done (like it should've been several years ago)

That actually does seem like decent progress for once (although where is the construction equipment in the video? I only see a crane and several other things). North end still needs quite a bit of work, but the Diboll bypass was fairly similar in that the north end lagged behind the rest of the project quite badly but ended up getting completed quickly close to the end, so I guess there's hope that contractors can wrap this up quickly. What's the ETA on this project again?

[-- US 175 --]

What's the ETA on this project again?

I don't remember, but I would guess the contractor has missed the target.

[TheBox]

What's the ETA on this project again?

I don't remember, but I would guess the contractor has missed the target.

2029 being the current ETA iirc, correct me if I'm wrong

But I bet the original ETA was 2023 or 2024 before they missed the mark (I forgot the reasons why)

[CtrlAltDel]

I recently drove the Diboll bypass. It's pretty solid overall, I'd say, although perhaps a bit overcomplicated at the northern end. One thing that annoyed me was that there was a pair of signs before every bridge, one on the left and the other on the right, pointing out that the bridge may ice in cold weather. They were posted even when the bridges were close together, such as here, where there were six signs within 1,500 feet, making things unnecessarily cluttered.

[CoreySamson]

I recently drove the Diboll bypass. It's pretty solid overall, I'd say, although perhaps a bit overcomplicated at the northern end. One thing that annoyed me was that there was a pair of signs before every bridge, one on the left and the other on the right, pointing out that the bridge may ice in cold weather. They were posted even when the bridges were close together, such as here, where there were six signs within 1,500 feet, making things unnecessarily cluttered.

That's just Texas oversigning. There are a lot of those signs in my area, even though we get winter precipitation perhaps once every five years. At that point, why bother putting up the signs?

[The Road Warrior]

What's the ETA on this project again?

I don't remember, but I would guess the contractor has missed the target.

2029 being the current ETA iirc, correct me if I'm wrong

But I bet the original ETA was 2023 or 2024 before they missed the mark (I forgot the reasons why)

Current ETA is early Spring 2027. I believe you've got the end date confused with the nearby segment of U.S. 59 by US-259, which is scheduled to start construction in 2029.

[Thegeet]

In case I haven't said it already, US 59 main lanes in hungerford are finished and in the process of installing BGSs. I-69 signs spotted on the feeders. It's up to Wharton now (and eventually Pierce). They are installing the bare bones of the new SB bridge.

[splashflash]

Drone flyover of Corrigan Relief Route
May 22, 2026

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bRbrUcRVCVs&pp=QAFIAQ%3D%3D

[TheBox]

Drone flyover of Corrigan Relief Route
May 22, 2026

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bRbrUcRVCVs&pp=QAFIAQ%3D%3D

The southern half looks pretty far in development, with the northern half not far behind for once

[Great Lakes Roads]

US 59 upgrade in Live Oak and Bee Counties (Future I-69W)

[MaxConcrete]

US 59 upgrade in Live Oak and Bee Counties (Future I-69W)

This is a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting any work on I-69W outside of Laredo for a long time.

I think the main reason for this project is because this section of US 59 is a minimal two-lane highway. The section to the west is 2x2 divided. So this probably qualifies as a safety upgrade. As noted in the announcement, frontage roads only will be built in phase 1.

The planned freeway section ends at Viggo Road west of Beeville. The I-69 systemwide planning document (page 56) indicates a bypass around Beeville, which is probably far in the future.

[CoreySamson]

Went to a summer camp near Corrigan this week. It was my first time going to camp while pastoring my youth group, so wrangling kids on the bus was my focus, but I did notice a few things on the I-69 corridor:

- I-69 still terminates at the Liberty/Montgomery county line (@ Fostoria Rd). No new I-69 signage in the Cleveland area.
- The new main lanes for the Shepherd-Cleveland section appear fairly close to being done, with the road bed, overpasses, and concrete bridges mostly complete. However, the south side of the project near Westcott is lagging behind. Probably a late 2026-early 2027 opening date by the looks of it?
- Lots of good progress on the Corrigan bypass. It seems to be at around the same level of completion as the Shepherd-Cleveland section. I also got my first look at the Corrigan bypass's interchange with US 287, which looks to be about 80% complete. Of note, high mast lighting has been installed around the interchange, much like the US 59 Shepherd bypass. Also, SB US 59 traffic at the southern end of the bypass is now routed underneath the bridge to its final configuration. I would estimate this would open closer to the tail end of 2027.