Texas Sen. Cruz talks Ports-to-Plains during Lubbock stop
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz made a stop in Lubbock this week to hold a roundtable luncheon with area leaders and members of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance and I-27 Advisory Committee to visit about recent legislation securing the future extension of Interstate 27.
In March, the Port-to-Plains Corridor from Raton, New Mexico to Laredo, Texas was added to the federal Interstate Highway System as part of a sweeping $1.5 trillion FY 2022 omnibus appropriations bill, marking the first step for I-27 to expand from its current Lubbock-to-Amarillo route southward to the Mexican border at Laredo, through the Texas Panhandle, eventually north to the Canadian border.
The luncheon on Tuesday was closed to the press, but Cruz, R-Texas, held a briefing following the event to touch on the highlights of the legislation, which he said was a bipartisan effort he is proud to have led that will benefit West Texas in more ways than one.
"Construction alone is a $55 billon project, and it will produce 178,000 construction jobs, many of which will be right here in the great state of Texas," Cruz said. "It'll produce over $17 billion for the Texas GDP. It'll produce over 17,000 ongoing jobs from the trade and commerce.
"Whether it is moving cotton, whether it is moving cattle, whether it is moving oil and gas, whether it is moving people, this ports-to-plains transit is incredibly important to the booming growth we're seeing in West Texas."
The recent designation is just another step in the decades-long march towards the future Mexico-to-Canada highway, but a significant one, Cruz said. Next is to find the funds, which he says will be shared among the federal and state governments.
"The second step is going to be the funding battle, and the funding battle will be an ongoing battle," Cruz said. "Anytime you're dealing with funding for projects like interstates, you're dealing with scarce resources and you're battling with other jurisdictions that are fighting for those same resources.
"What I can tell you is that with both I-27 and I-14 (in the Permian Basin), we were able to assemble a bipartisan coalition that got it done on the designation, and I'm confident that we'll see the same bipartisan coalition working to ensure that the federal portion of the funding comes through and we'll work to get it done."
Lubbock leaders also chimed in to thank Cruz for his efforts in the highway designation.
"Senator Ted Cruz’s efforts supporting the Port-to-Plains project and the economic health of West Texas has been unmatched in Washington," Mayor Tray Payne said in a statement. "I was proud to join him today to discuss the future of the West Texas economy."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Sen. Cruz talks Ports-to-Plains during Lubbock stop
