Ultimate Interstates:I-27 Extension
The Ultimate Interstate 27 extension would expand the I-27 corridor From its current routing from Amarillo to Lubbock, TX to extend northward to Limon, Colorado and northwestward toward Raton, New Mexico. The route would also be extended to the south via Midland and Big Springs, Texas, toward San Angelo, the Rio Grande Valley with its southern ending at I-35 north of Laredo Texas.
Corridor Routing
Northern Extension
Ultimate Interstate 27 would continue north from Amarillo, Texas, likely bypassing the city to the west and then continuing northward to Dumas, Texas where it would split into two routes. One heading northwestward to connect to I-25 in Raton, New Mexico, and the other continuing northward and ending at US-287 at the Oklahoma State line. From there it could continue northward ending at I-70 in Limon, Colorado.
There is a possibility of I-27 being continued further north along CO-71 ending at I-76 instead east of Fort Morgan, Colorado where it would connect to the planned Heartland Expressway and Theodore Roosevelt Expressway which at this time are in the conceptual phase only and it is currently unclear if these two expressway system concepts will result in new Interstate construction or will only result in functional upgrades to existing highway systems.
Southern Extension
Ultimate Interstate 27 would extend southward along US-87 from Lubbock, Texas to Lamesa where it would split into two corridors. The west branch would traverse to the southwest along TX-349 to connect to I-20 in Midland, Texas, then continue east along TX-158 toward Sterling City. The eastern branch follows US-87 southeast crossing I-20 at Big Spring, Texas then continuing southeastward toward Sterling City where both routes would rejoin and continue eastward along US-87 to San Angelo. From there the highway would roughly follow US-277 south and southeastward, crossing I-10 near Sonora, Texas and Continuing southward passing through Del Rio & Eagle Pass, Texas. From there the route would continue southwestward near US-83 to I-35 north of Laredo, Texas.
Amarillo Downtown Gap Closure
Ideally the best alternative would be to continue I-27 through downtown Amarillo. Currently US-87 splits into 4 one-way streets in downtown Amarillo (two northbound and two southbound) and there is a significant amount of development along this section that would need to be acquired as right-of-way and then demolished to make room for a new freeway. It appears that TXDOT has instead opted for a western routing instead due to the extensive cost and destruction that would need to occur to make this route option a reality. More than likely the section of I-27 leading into downtown would become an interstate spur instead.
Amarillo Western Routing
The westward routing seems to be TXDOTs preferred routing. With the highway intended to continue around the western side of Amarillo along an upgraded LOOP 335 instead. Connecting ramps to and from existing I-27 in the north and south sides of Amarillo would provide a continuous through traffic to follow the bypass loop instead of continuing along existing I-27. The orphaned section of I-27 inside the 335 loop would then likely become an auxiliary interstate spur.
Purpose and Need
I-27 as currently configured is a stub interstate route connecting only to I-40 and is the principal route connecting Lubbock to Amarillo. However there is no connection to any other part of the Texas interstate system leaving a missing link in the interstate system. With I-27 being part of the high priority "Ports to Plains" corridor it is essential for interstate commerce and can provide better connections to the upper plains states by being upgraded to interstate standards. Safety and congestion management is also a concern. Most of the highways in this area have high freight traffic but many of the roads are 2-lane highways that are becoming congested with truck traffic causing delays and dangerous passing situations.
Route Numberings
From north to south the planned route numberings have been proposed:
- I-27 - Raton, NM to Dumas, TX (shown on the map as I-527)
- I-27N - OK state line to Dumas, TX (shown on the map as I-27)
- I-27 - Dumas, TX to Lamesa, TX (via Amarillo and Lubbock)
- I-27W - Lamesa, TX to Sterling City, TX (via Midland, TX)
- I-27E - Lamesa, TX to Sterling City, TX (via Big Spring, TX)
- I-27E - Sterling City, TX to North of Laredo, TX (via San Angelo, TX)
Auxiliary Routes
Potential Auxiliary routes for the I-27 corridor could include:
- I-227 - following US-84 from Lubbock TX to Interstate 20 in Roscoe TX.
- I-327 - following TX-191 west from I-29W to Loop-338 in Odessa TX.
- I-427 - upgrade Loop-289 around Lubbock to Interstate standards.
- I-527
- Option 1 - From Raton NM to Dumas TX (favoring northward extension of I-27 along US-287).
- Option 2 - From OK State line at US-287 to Dumas TX (if I-27 is routed to Raton NM instead).
- I-627 - to include contiguous portions of the following routes in San Angelo TX
- US-277/67 freeway (Houston Harte Expressway)
- Loop 306 Freeway
- US-87 from US277 to Loop 306
Plausibility
Since the corridor has already been designated as a high priority corridor this interstate expansion could become a reality. TXDOT has already been making improvements to the corridors anticipating this future project. Most of these upgrades have been in Amarillo, Midland, and Big Springs area. Additionally much of the US-87 corridor is already a 4 lane highway that just needs grade separations and interchanges constructed. As far as New Mexico is concerned, there doesnt seem to be any active construction at this time, however NMDOT is studying their section of the US-87 corridor for potential upgrade to interstate.
As far as Oklahoma and Colorado is concerned. There seems to be no active study or plans at this time to improve the US-287 corridor to Interstate standards. This puts further doubt into the future of an I-27 corridor extending to Limon, CO which may be why TXDOT and NMDOT favor the I-27 routing westward toward Raton instead.
Indyroads Vision
This route is necessary and would be useful for interstate travel from I-10 northward, connecting several medium sized cities and becoming a vital freight corridor heading northward into Colorado and points beyond. The extension of I-27 northward to I-25 at Raton would be a vast improvement for interstate travel, however it is of the opinion of Indyroads that the I-27 corridor instead follow the US-287 corridor northward instead and terminate at Limon CO instead. This would make it more poised to connect to other planned expressways discussed above and would alleviate funneling everything onto the I-25 corridor through Colorado. Cities such as Pueblo, Fountain, Colorado Springs, Aurora, and Denver are very congested, and a US-287 route may be more favorable to keep goods moving long term.
South of Interstate 10 the viability and usefulness of the corridor remains to be seen. Much of this area is extremely rural with mostly small towns located along the proposed routes length. It remains to be seen if Mexico border crossings in places like Del Rio and Eagle Pass would be upgraded or expanded to facilitate goods crossings into the US. These border crossings are also fairly remote locations in Mexico as well. Largely the majority of the international freight would be feeding through border crossings in Laredo and via I-2s planned extension.
As with any planned Interstate highway comes the promise of economic development for the many small and medium sized cities that lay along its routing. Studies will have to be done to see if any long term positive economic impact will come from this planned Interstate corridor. With that being said. The sections of I-27 between I-10 and I-70 and to I-25 are the most logical and these upgrades should be completed.
Ultimate Interstate 670
As part of the Ports to Plains Corridor CODOT should consider building out the US 24 corridor between Limon, Colorado westward to Colorado Springs. This interstate highway would further interconnect the area to the I-70 system and the I-27 corridor as well as making Limon Colorado a future freight hub, thus spurring economic development. The routing would closely follow US-24 into Colorado Springs then connect to the Powers Expressway (Colorado State Hoghway 20) which could be upgraded to freeway and potentially become an interstate loop thus connecting I-670 to I-25. With development along this corridor becoming congested however a bypass further out may be necessary or I-670 could find an alternate termination point up north of Colorado Springs or to the south near Fountain and Ft Carson instead.