Vallecillo from FM 1472 to IH 35 SBFR
The Vallecillo Road Project is a unique public-private endeavor that aims to construct a new location roadway to connect FM1472 (Mines Road) to Interstate Highway 35 (IH 35). This infrastructure enhancement project was identified by the Webb County-City of Laredo Regional Mobility Authority (WC-CL RMA) in their North Laredo Webb County Transportation Planning Study published in March 2020. Project development has a storied past that started with the Laredo Webb County Area MPO Policy Committee requesting that the WC-CL RMA develop this new location roadway in early 2015 to assist in alleviating congestion on FM 1472. WC‐CL RMA passed a resolution to participate in the development of the project on August 28, 2022 (Resolution 20‐16).
As the lead agency on the project and to develop an understanding of the cost and scope, the WC‐CL RMA conducted preliminary environmental studies and developed a preliminary geometric schematic from 2016 to 2017. The WC‐CL RMA also implemented and completed both traffic and geotechnical studies in 2020. The design schematic is programmed for completion by the end of 2024, with environmental clearance anticipated by early 2025.
The WC‐CL RMA investigated multiple avenues to generate capital for the project’s implementation through local, state, and federal sources, as well as the feasibility of a corridor Transportation Reinvestment Zone (TRZ), and was successful in attaining full project funding.
Project partnership with dedicated financial and right of way resources have advanced to a critical point, with backing having been pledged from the WC-CL RMA through Category 12 funds and Vehicle Registration Fees, City of Laredo, Killam Company including the donation of land, Category 7 funds through the Laredo Webb County Area MPO and a federal appropriations earmark made possible by Congressman Henry Cuellar through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Project Funding program for a total amount of $49,989,762.00 dedicated to the project costs.
Project Goal
The goal of the project:
- Improve safety for the traveling public
- Improve mobility and lessen congestion through alternate routes
- Increase economic development and regional tax base
- Provide job growth commensurate with development
Vallecillo Road will be an alternate route for traffic to and from the World Trade Bridge, an international cargo port-of-entry. In 2023, Port Laredo ranked No. 1 by value among the nation’s 450-plus airports, seaports, and border crossings. FM 1472 is the only major arterial moving commercial traffic to and from this international bridge, which handles 90% of cross-border freight traffic in Laredo. On a global stage, Port Laredo is the No. 1 North American land port, with 40% of all trade between the U.S. and Mexico being handled by the City’s four international bridges and singular rail bridge.
To further evidence the amount of traffic on FM 1472, recent studies document 60,000 vehicles daily, which is a higher average daily traffic count than IH 35. Many of those vehicles are tractor-trailers moving goods or returning empty to their industrial yards and warehouses.
The implementation of this project will provide a direct egress route for the people living off FM 1472, particularly for those in the La Bota Ranch Subdivision located on the west end of Muller Memorial Blvd. This vital link will allow residential traffic in the area to divert to IH 35 and away from congestion on FM 1472 during peak travel times.
The construction of the roadway also opens prime property for industrial development and leads to future economic growth through land development east of IH 35.
Project Limits
The Vallecillo Road project limits are from FM 1472 (Mines Road) to the IH 35 South Bound Frontage Road (SBFR) within the City of Laredo city limits. The east-west roadway will be located about a mile and a half north of IH 69 West and aligned with A.F. Muller Boulevard, directly connecting FM 1472 (Mines Road) with IH 35. Preliminary schematics have been developed, and the plans call for a 150-foot right-of-way, with a total of four (4) travel lanes and a median at approximately 2.85 miles in length. Plans also include sidewalks and a shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists. Laredo is situated on the north side of the Texas / Mexico border, approximately 150 miles south of San Antonio, Texas, or 235 miles south of Austin, Texas’s capital, on mile marker one (1) of IH 35.