A new interstate highway from Texas to Georgia? Senate likes the idea

Interstate 14 would be expanded to run through central Texas and span much of the eastern Sun Belt before ending in Georgia, according to a plan approved by the Senate and awaiting House action.

“It’s a bipartisan amendment that will link together important military bases but also provide economic growth and jobs all the way from the Permian Basin to the Atlantic,” Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, told the Star-Telegram. He and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, sponsored the proposal.

The Senate agreed to the Cruz-Warnock amendment on a voice vote. It now needs approval from the House, which is not due to return for votes until Sept. 20.

I-14 is a 25-mile stretch of highway that runs from Belton to Fort Hood. Cruz and Warnock’s amendment would expand I-14 to start in Odessa and run through Central Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama before ending in Augusta, Georgia.

The Senate has been considering changes to its $1 trillion infrastructure bill all week. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, joined with Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, on an amendment that would allow states and local governments to use 30% of their unspent COVID-19 relief funds on infrastructure.

The 30% cap on the unspent COVID-19 funds came after negotiating with the White House, Cornyn told reporters. Multiple Senate Democrats have voiced support for Cornyn and Padilla’s amendment and it’s expected to pass overwhelmingly, Cornyn said.

Currently, state and local governments have to use COVID-19 relief funds for their intended purpose of managing the pandemic and stabilizing local governments and economies.