ODESSA, Texas — It’s not hard to notice all the roadwork around the Permian Basin, with the construction along Interstate 20 standing as the largest project.
The State of Texas is close to finalizing funding for its 2024 Unified Transportation Plan. In the proposed plan, the Odessa District is set to receive about $1 billion, with much of that going toward fully funding the rest of the I-20 project.
$686 million will go to the construction along the interstate. That project will change I-20 between FM 1936 west of Odessa and FM 1208 east of Midland from four lanes to six lanes.
“Over the years they’ve put a lot of money towards that, but this is kind of finishing that off, the funding, and following through on that commitment there," said James Beauchamp, president of the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance. "That’s a long project. We’re just now seeing parts of that started. It will probably stretch out over the next 10 years, but it’s fully funded, and that allows things to go forward, and hopefully allows them to expedite some of it, frankly, which I think is important given what we’ve seen out here.”
With the funding for I-20 nearly completed, the focus can shift elsewhere.
“One of the big problems that we have out here today is everything outside the interstate — which has really been the focus for the last few years — and completing both loops, and so hopefully this allows us to kind of move forward into starting to develop those other projects that are desperately needed," said Beauchamp.
The fund proposal is currently in the public comment period, and it can be finalized in August.
Other roadway projects are set to receive money in Reeves, Pecos and Upton counties, including US 285 and US 67.