Welcome To Case's Column
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.
In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Suspense Builds On How The I-27 Split Will Be Named
I'm bringing this up simply because no one has made it official yet. Not a peep thus far from AASHTO, the Federal Highway Administration, or, perhaps, from Congress. 
Interstate 27's corridor through Texas has become law, so that much is certain. What still isn't known is the split between Lamesa and just north of Sterling City and the in-betweens traversing through Big Spring and Midland. How will the two segments be designated? Will the highway be I-27E for the former segment and I-27W for the latter? Or would we see mainline I-27 use all of U.S. Highway 87 on the east and have I-14N just stand alone on State Highway 158 with a possible I-X27 spur from Lamesa to Midland on State Highway 349? Or would it be that second scenario using a loop route for I-X27 on most of Highway 158 and a segment of State Loop 250?
And, by the way, amidst all these questions, we still don't really have official word about how I-14's north and south segments west of Brady will be named, although the running consensus out there is already pronouncing that road to be split S and N for the obvious directions.
Getting back to 27, I couldn't believe that the aforementioned hasn't been decided by now. One website had someone say that if Midland got the loop designation, then citizens there would feel slighted. The problem with Midland is, it doesn't have a designated north-south U.S. Highway there. It just had U.S. 80 from east to west many moons ago before it got decommissioned, but no U.S. Highway specific to them. That particular chip fell in Odessa with U.S. 385, and it didn't have an alternate highway going through Midland. How do you like that?
Lots of questions still abound on the new corridor. If you're wondering about the time it may take to build this, then please don't expect it to be like things used to be in the Golden Age of interstates back in the 1960s and '70s, when federal funding was more plentiful and roads demanded completion in a ten-year span. You don't have that situation today, sports fans. Corridors are taking longer to get done in this day and age.
The question du jour is this: When will the 27 Split be named? Time will tell, but sooner or later, we've all got to be finding this out.
Also getting some future attention is the impending expansion of a new State Highway 349 loop from Midland's far north side around the west by Midland International Air & Space Port to get to I-20. TXDOT did have some confirmation on the upcoming construction of what will be a partial outer loop in Midland. Whether that actually becomes part of this I-27 network of arteries remains to be seen. I would have thought that East State Loop 250's new construction might factor into the corridor and make a bond, somehow, with 158 in going southeast.
Still, we road fanatics must wait. And that, as Tom Petty once said, is the hardest part.
Interstate 27's corridor through Texas has become law, so that much is certain. What still isn't known is the split between Lamesa and just north of Sterling City and the in-betweens traversing through Big Spring and Midland. How will the two segments be designated? Will the highway be I-27E for the former segment and I-27W for the latter? Or would we see mainline I-27 use all of U.S. Highway 87 on the east and have I-14N just stand alone on State Highway 158 with a possible I-X27 spur from Lamesa to Midland on State Highway 349? Or would it be that second scenario using a loop route for I-X27 on most of Highway 158 and a segment of State Loop 250?
And, by the way, amidst all these questions, we still don't really have official word about how I-14's north and south segments west of Brady will be named, although the running consensus out there is already pronouncing that road to be split S and N for the obvious directions. Getting back to 27, I couldn't believe that the aforementioned hasn't been decided by now. One website had someone say that if Midland got the loop designation, then citizens there would feel slighted. The problem with Midland is, it doesn't have a designated north-south U.S. Highway there. It just had U.S. 80 from east to west many moons ago before it got decommissioned, but no U.S. Highway specific to them. That particular chip fell in Odessa with U.S. 385, and it didn't have an alternate highway going through Midland. How do you like that?
Lots of questions still abound on the new corridor. If you're wondering about the time it may take to build this, then please don't expect it to be like things used to be in the Golden Age of interstates back in the 1960s and '70s, when federal funding was more plentiful and roads demanded completion in a ten-year span. You don't have that situation today, sports fans. Corridors are taking longer to get done in this day and age.
The question du jour is this: When will the 27 Split be named? Time will tell, but sooner or later, we've all got to be finding this out.
Also getting some future attention is the impending expansion of a new State Highway 349 loop from Midland's far north side around the west by Midland International Air & Space Port to get to I-20. TXDOT did have some confirmation on the upcoming construction of what will be a partial outer loop in Midland. Whether that actually becomes part of this I-27 network of arteries remains to be seen. I would have thought that East State Loop 250's new construction might factor into the corridor and make a bond, somehow, with 158 in going southeast.
Still, we road fanatics must wait. And that, as Tom Petty once said, is the hardest part.
Total Comments 4
Comments
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Would think that the span from LBK to I-20 (whether it’s the Midland part, the Big Spring portion, or both at the same time), would get the top priority on the route since traffic will only increase, and it’s likely easily the most heavily-traveled corridor.
Then the San Angelo part would come immediately after, followed by the I-14 & I-10 routes.
Maybe the routes going N of I-40/Amarillo up to I-70 can happen at the same time.Posted 01-08-2023 at 12:07 AM by shoe01
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Hi Case, interesting, thanks for the info and insight.
Regards, formally shh1313
Best wishes to you for the New Year!
Regards 1bluetulipPosted 01-08-2023 at 04:34 AM by 1bluetulip
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Shouldn't you mean formerly??Quote:Originally Posted by 1bluetulip
Hi Case, interesting, thanks for the info and insight.
Regards, formally shh1313
Best wishes to you for the New Year!
Regards 1bluetulipPosted 01-09-2023 at 08:44 AM by case44 
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I think the priority for TXDOT is to expedite the 87 corridor between Angelo and Lubbock and upgrade it as much as possible. The good news is, you won't need a lot of new construction when you've got four mainlanes already in place. Driveways and at-grade crossings will need to be removed and grade separations will be needed.Quote:Originally Posted by shoe01
Would think that the span from LBK to I-20 (whether it’s the Midland part, the Big Spring portion, or both at the same time), would get the top priority on the route since traffic will only increase, and it’s likely easily the most heavily-traveled corridor.
Regarding the names of our split, that remains in AASHTO's hands. No announcement has been made on it, so there's nothing any of us can do until that happens. The roads will eventually happen, but they have to have their proper designations.Posted 01-09-2023 at 08:50 AM by case44
