ICYMI: Op-ed Praises Sen. Cruz for I-27 Law

Midland, Texas – In Case You Missed It: Today, the Midland Reporter-Telegram published an op-ed by James Beauchap, president of the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance, about the importance of legislation bringing I-27 into the federal highway program. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, authored the legislation, now law, that accomplished this.

In his op-ed, Beauchamp wrote, “Years ago, while we were working to build momentum for creating I-27, we ran into some roadblocks. I set up a meeting with Senator Ted Cruz to ask for some assistance. Immediately, he sprung into action and went above and beyond. Instead of just offering to help, he offered to take up the cause of I-27 and lead the fight to get it done. He worked closely with leaders across the Lone Star State to build a coalition of strong advocates for Texas. His effort paid off, and Senator Cruz’s I-27 Numbering Act was recently signed into law.

“What impressed me most about working with Senator Cruz was his ability to work with folks across the aisle to deliver for Texas. The media loves to paint Senator Cruz as a partisan bomb-thrower, but that is not at all the person I got to know. Instead, I saw a champion for Texas who is willing to do whatever it takes to advocate for the Lone Star State: whether that is fighting in the arena of public opinion or building bridges with unlikely allies. On the I-27 project, I saw Senator Cruz join with Democrat Senator Ben Ray Luján from New Mexico. They might not agree all the time, but they worked together seamlessly to deliver on this massive victory for their states.”

Read the full op-ed here and below.

Op-Ed: Sen. Ted Cruz’s bipartisan bill creating I-27 is a huge win for Texas

By James Beauchamp, president of the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance

As the largest state in the lower 48, Texas needs and deserves a world-class interstate system. Every day, millions of Texans depend on our system of roads, highways, and interstates for transportation, trade, and travel. From helping workers commute to their jobs to allowing families to travel home for the holidays, and from transporting our food to allowing first responders to quickly arrive at the scene of an emergency — our interstates are the vessels that make modern life possible. This is especially important for the energy industry in our region.

The next great improvement to the web of interstates connecting Texas will be I-27, connecting from Laredo to the Oklahoma border, as well as, Raton, New Mexico, through Midland-Odessa. The I-27 federal interstate designation is a huge deal, since it will ensure that the entire highway is up to interstate standards—improving driving conditions, reducing crashes and fatalities, attracting employers, creating jobs, and driving revenue to the region.

When folks are driving down an interstate, they often don’t understand the work that goes into creating it. Years ago, while we were working to build momentum for creating I-27, we ran into some roadblocks. I set up a meeting with Senator Ted Cruz to ask for some assistance. Immediately, he sprung into action and went above and beyond. Instead of just offering to help, he offered to take up the cause of I-27 and lead the fight to get it done. He worked closely with leaders across the Lone Star State to build a coalition of strong advocates for Texas. His effort paid off, and Senator Cruz’s I-27 Numbering Act was recently signed into law.

What impressed me most about working with Senator Cruz was his ability to work with folks across the aisle to deliver for Texas. The media loves to paint Senator Cruz as a partisan bomb-thrower, but that is not at all the person I got to know. Instead, I saw a champion for Texas who is willing to do whatever it takes to advocate for the Lone Star State: whether that is fighting in the arena of public opinion or building bridges with unlikely allies. On the I-27 project, I saw Senator Cruz join with Democrat Senator Ben Ray Luján from New Mexico. They might not agree all the time, but they worked together seamlessly to deliver on this massive victory for their states.

I-27 is a major victory in and of itself, but in the context of Senator Cruz’s work to establish I-14, it’s even bigger. Interstate 14 runs from the Permian Basin all the way to Georgia. On that issue, Senator Cruz worked with Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock to connect the rich natural resources from the Permian Basin with markets on the East Coast. These two interstates, I-14 and I-27, together with their connections with I-10 and I-20, connect over 85 percent of Texas’s population, over 90 percent of Texas’s workforce, and over 95 percent of Texas’s GDP.

I’ve been working on transportation issues for over 21 years, and I-27 and I-14 are some of the most significant wins for Texas that I’ve seen in my career. It is impossible to overstate just how much these key arteries of trade, travel, and transportation will improve the lives of countless Texans. I am confident that both interstates will be pillars supporting Texas’s economy for the next 100 years. And for that, we have Senator Cruz to thank.

###