Interstate 69E

The interchange between I-37 and I-69E (along with US 77) in Corpus Christi

Interstate 69E begins at an at-grade intersection just north of the Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates in Brownsville. I-69E has a concurrency with US 77. I-69E intersect the eastern terminus of Interstate 2 (I-2) in Harlingen. After leaving the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan area, I-69E temporally ends. Traffic is forced onto US 77 which is a 4-lane expressway. Another piece of I-69E picks up just north of Driscoll. I-69E passes through Robstown before terminating at a freeway-to-freeway style interchange with I-37 east of Corpus Christi.

A stated goal of the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) I-69 initiative is that "existing suitable freeway sections of the proposed system be designated as I-69 as soon as possible".[3] A bill was introduced and passed by the House of Representatives that allows Interstate quality sections of US 59, US 77, and US 281 to be signed as I-69 regardless of whether or not they connected to other Interstate Highways.

TxDOT submitted an application to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to designate 75 miles (121 km) of US 59 in Greater Houston and eight miles (13 km) of US 77 near Corpus Christi as I-69, as these sections are already built to Interstate Highway standards and connect to other Interstate Highways. In August 2011, TxDOT received approval from the FHWA for a six-mile (9.7 km) segment of US 77 between I-37 and State Highway 44 (SH 44) near Corpus Christi and was approved by AASHTO in October 2011.[4] Officials held a ceremony on December 5, 2011, to unveil I-69 signs on the Robstown–Corpus Christi section.[5]

The FHWA approved the designation for the East Rio Grande Valley segment on May 24, 2013,[6] and the Texas Transportation Commission followed suit on May 30, 2013.[7] This action finalized the designations of not only I-69E but also of the sections of I-69C from Pharr north to the end of the US 281 freeway facility near Edinburg, and also I-2, which is a 46.8-mile (75.3 km) freeway that runs from Peñitas to Harlingen and connects with I-69C and I-69E.[6] These approvals added over 100 miles (160 km) to the Interstate Highway System in the Rio Grande Valley.[8] The signage was installed in summer 2013.[9]

Currently, the cluster consisting of the recently designated portions of I-69E, I-69C, and I-2 in the Rio Grande Valley is not connected to the national Interstate network. This situation is slated to be remedied by scheduled projects to complete I-69E along US 77 between Raymondville and Robstown the southern end of the previously signed portion of the I-69 corridor connecting with I-37 west of Corpus Christi. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval for the upgrade of the US 77 alignment to Interstate standards, including bypasses of the towns along the 91-mile (146 km) routing, was obtained through a finding of no significant impact statement issued on July 13, 2012;[10] funding for the various projects to effect the upgrades was slated to become available after 2015.[11] During its 2019 Annual Meeting in October 2019, AASHTO approved an extension of the I-69E designation along US 77 from Farm to Market Road 892 (FM 892) to FM 2826 in Nueces County. The 3.3-mile (5.3 km) extension completes I-69E from I-37 in Calallen to the north end of the Driscoll Bypass. The northbound lanes of the Driscoll Bypass opened in 2021 while the southbound lanes opened on August 16, 2023.[12] The entire project is set to be completed in December 2023.[13] An additional bypass is also expected to be constructed around Rivera as well.[14]

The section of I-69E north of Corpus Christi to Victoria is still in the early stages of development. Bypasses are expected to be constructed around both Odem and Refugio. TxDOT will hold open houses in Refugio in late October 2023 in order to receive public feedback on the project.[15]

•  Texas portal
•  U.S. Roads portal

• Media related to Interstate 69 in Texas at Wikimedia Commons