WASHINGTON — In today’s Texas Republican politics, the road to President Donald Trump’s heart might just run down a Texas highway.
Sen. John Cornyn unveiled legislation this week to rename a future interstate across Texas as “I-47,” honoring President Donald Trump as the nation’s 47th president.
The move comes as Cornyn seeks Trump’s endorsement in advance of his bruising Senate runoff May 26 against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The proposal would upgrade U.S. Highway 287, which runs from Port Arthur to Amarillo before continuing north into Montana, into a future interstate corridor Cornyn wants branded as the “Trump Interstate.”
Cornyn cast the proposal as both an economic development measure and a tribute to Trump, calling him “the most consequential president of our lifetime.”
“Texas is Trump Country, and this bill cements that legacy by designating nearly 1,800 miles of open-road from Texas’ Gulf Coast to the edge of the U.S.-Canadian border as I-47 to forever be remembered as Trump Interstate,” Cornyn said in a news release promoting the bill.
With early voting starting Monday in the runoff, many social media users connected the timing to the race, mocking the announcement as a bid to win Trump’s favor.
Cornyn edged Paxton in the first round of voting but finished short of the majority required to avoid a rematch. The winner faces Democrat James Talarico in November.
Both candidates have emphasized their ties to Trump, who has teased that he will make a pick but so far has stayed out of the race.
Paxton has sharply criticized Cornyn as disloyal to the president, posting recently on X that “there’s no one more anti-Trump than Cornyn.”
Cornyn has touted his support of Trump and brushed aside suggestions the highway proposal represents him angling for the president’s endorsement.
So why name the interstate for Trump?
“Why not? I mean, we name highways and bridges and buildings after people all the time,” Cornyn said. “It’s appropriate.”
Costs and benefits
Federal law prescribes a multi-step process for interstate designation that involves Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation and state agencies.
The “Trump Interstate” would bolster a traffic corridor that plays an important role in supporting economic growth, said Cornyn, who highlighted a Texas Department of Transportation feasibility study from last year.
The highway traverses more than 670 miles of Texas, including a 39-mile overlap with other interstates, the study said.
The remaining 632 miles are non-interstate and would need to be upgraded to higher standards if Congress designates the route as an interstate, the study said.
The study said upgrading those 632 miles would cost $24.5 billion and result in billions in travel cost savings, new jobs and increased GDP. It estimated a 161% net return on investment.