By: Johnson H.C.R. No. 133 73R9674 SMC-D CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, In anticipation of the transportation needs of the 1-2 next century and the added impact of the North American Free Trade 1-3 Agreement, the United States Congress, through the Intermodal 1-4 Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), has 1-5 established a "high priority corridor" running from the 1-6 Canadian-United States border at Port Huron, Michigan, to the 1-7 Mexican-United States border at Laredo, Texas, stretching through 1-8 eight states; and 1-9 WHEREAS, The congress currently is debating measures that 1-10 will determine the location of Interstate 69, and in deciding its 1-11 path, the congress should be guided by cost-effectiveness and 1-12 timeliness of completion; and 1-13 WHEREAS, The routing of this important interstate highway 1-14 will be determined by a panel of representatives from states along 1-15 the proposed corridor; their study will identify and analyze 1-16 alternative routes within the corridor and recommend a plan for 1-17 highway construction and improvement; and 1-18 WHEREAS, The Texas Department of Transportation has 1-19 recommended that the study be extended to include a previously 1-20 identified corridor that follows present U.S. Highway 59 through 1-21 Texas to the Mexican border at Laredo, Texas, and offers a 1-22 well-developed transportation route and much of the infrastructure 1-23 needed to meet the demands of both commercial and tourist traffic; 1-24 and 2-1 WHEREAS, The Interstate 69 Association, comprising local 2-2 community and business leaders and chambers of commerce members 2-3 from the eight states affected by construction of the interstate, 2-4 has stated that Interstate 69 should cross the Louisiana-Texas 2-5 border via U.S. Highway 84 at Joaquin, Texas; and 2-6 WHEREAS, The interstate would continue through Shelby County 2-7 until it reached U.S. Highway 59, then follow the U.S. Highway 59 2-8 corridor through Nacogdoches, Angelina, Polk, San Jacinto, 2-9 Montgomery, Liberty, and Harris counties and continue along U.S. 2-10 Highway 59 to the Mexican border in Webb County through Fort Bend, 2-11 Wharton, Jackson, Victoria, Goliad, Bee, Live Oak, and Duval 2-12 counties; now, therefore, be it 2-13 RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas 2-14 hereby memorialize the Congress of the United States to take all 2-15 necessary action to ensure that Interstate 69 will enter Texas at 2-16 Joaquin and follow along the least congested and most feasible 2-17 route between the Louisiana-Texas and Texas-Mexico borders; and, be 2-18 it further 2-19 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 2-20 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 2-21 the speaker of the house of representatives of the United States 2-22 Congress, to the president of the senate of the United States 2-23 Congress, and to all members of the Texas delegation to the 2-24 congress, with the request that this resolution be officially 2-25 entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress 2-26 of the United States of America.