On Friday, October 15, a Zoom meeting was hosted by TEX-21, a transportation policy think tank with the goal of improving the transportation infrastructure in the states of Texas and Oklahoma. The main topic of the meeting was to discuss the idea and support of turning U.S. Highway 287 into an interstate highway. 

Many attendees at the meeting spoke in favor of starting the process to convert U.S. Highway 287 into an interstate highway, including mayors, city managers, county judges and other public officials from prominent cities along the corridor. James White, the state representative from the 19th District, said this is our (Texas’s) infrastructure challenge.

On the other hand, Childress City Mayor Cary Preston voiced his opposition to making U.S. Highway 287 into an interstate. Preston brought up the topic of rural communities and how “an interstate highway would have the possibility to kill these small communities” that are growing and gaining more business because of people stopping on their way through. He said he will continue to be against the interstate highway.

U.S. Highway 287 covers 754 miles in Texas and runs through 262 cities with diverse professions and demographics. Seventy-seven percent of the highway is in rural areas. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 94% of U.S. Highway 287 does not meet the criteria to become an interstate highway at this time.