La Entrada al Pacífico is a trade corridor designated as "Trade Corridor 56" by the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. The corridor is an international project between Mexico and the United States as a route from the Pacific Ocean port of
Topolobampo in the Mexican state of
Sinaloa to the U.S. state of
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
and beyond by way of the
Midland-Odessa area. There is also a proposed upgrade of the
rail connection, which might be easier by not requiring the addition of new bridges and tunnels in the
Barranca de Cobre region. Its canyons are comparable in depth to the Grand Canyon in the United States.
Route
Mexican section
Initially proposed in 1997, this cooperative U.S. - Mexico trade route would begin in
Topolobampo,
Sinaloa, and travel along
Federal Highway 32 which as of July 2016, effectively ends at
Choix. From there, the route is intended to travel through
San Rafael, on currently-nonexistent roads that were supposed to have been finished by 2010. From San Rafael, the route would continue to the state capital,
Chihuahua. The corridor then follows the newest section of highway to the border crossing of
Ojinaga/
Presidio.
American section
The route continues from Presidio on
U.S. Route 67
U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues ...
(US 67) to the
Interstate 10 (I-10) interchange. It then follows I-10/US 67 until US 67 goes north off the interstate and intersects
US 385. The route then follows US 385 to
Odessa, Texas
Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, Ector County with portions extending into Midland County, Texas, Midland County.
Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...
at
I-20. It then follows I-20 east to
FM 1788 south of
Midland International Airport. It follows FM 1788 north to the proposed
SH 349 reliever route to the main highway north of
Midland. The final leg of the highway follows SH 349 to
Lamesa.
Alternate sections
Lamesa to Amarillo
From
Lamesa, the corridor follows
US 87 to
Lubbock and then it follows
I-27 from Lubbock to
Amarillo.
Midland to Fort Worth and Dallas
From the FM 1788 junction, the route follows I-20 to
Fort Worth and
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
.
Midland to Wichita Falls
From the FM 1788 junction, the route follows I-20 to
Abilene. Then, the route follows
US 277 to
Wichita Falls
Impacts to Midland/Odessa
Midland-Odessa stands to benefit greatly from this trade corridor. Plans include an inland port by
Union Pacific and other facilities.
Support
The major support from
Midland-Odessa comes from the organization, MOTRAN (Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance). There is also some support from the governor of the Mexican state of
Chihuahua.
The initial project was conceived to assist local Mexican power companies in the regional conversion from coal to natural gas, increase efficiency of import/export logistics as well as promoting and expanding trade between the neighboring nations.
Opposition
Citizens from the
Big Bend area of
West Texas have voiced their opinion that a larger highway through the area would damage the beauty of the area. The lack of support has prompted
TXDOT to find reliever routes around cities in the area.
See also
*
Ferromex, A rail alternative to highways on the Mexican side
*
Texas Pacifico Transportation, A rail alternative to highways on the US side to the
Union Pacific
References
Alpine Avalanche "Analysis: Hey, guys, it's time to take down those signs" (February 22, 2008)Alpine Avalanche "Entrada news surprises Alpine" (February 22, 2008)KRTS Marfa Public Radio "No Four-Lane Highway Through The Big Bend." (February 20, 2008)
* ttp://www.star-telegram.com/275/v-print/story/78055.html Star-Telegram "Storm gathers over trade corridor" (April 23, 2007)br>Big Bend Sentinel "Midland city council amends La Entrada resolution to support Big Bend communities" (April 12, 2007)
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070928142643/http://www.oaoa.com/onset?id=600&template=article.html Odessa American "Trucking or Tranquility" (April 15, 2007)br>Terrell County News Leader "'La Entrada' gets airing" (March 23, 2007)
* ttps://archive.today/20130117040041/http://www.alpineavalanche.com/articles/2007/03/15/news/news01.txt Alpine Avalanche "Citizens turn out to protest 'La Entrada'" (March 15, 2007)br>Odessa American "La Entrada Opponents Speak Out" (March 21, 2007)StopTheTrucks.orgwww.la-entrada-al-pacifico.comMOTRANLa Entrada planners fault opponents' 'scare tactics'
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Entrada al Pacifico
United States federal transportation legislation
Ector County, Texas
Midland County, Texas
Crane County, Texas
Upton County, Texas
Dawson County, Texas
Pecos County, Texas
Presidio County, Texas
Transportation in Chihuahua (state)
Sinaloa