At Tuesday’s Amarillo City Council meeting, council members unanimously approved the first reading of a resolution supporting the proposed “Future Interstate Highway Formula” program. The resolution does not commit the city to funding or construction but serves as a formal request for the federal government to include this funding program in the next federal Surface Transportation Authorization bill.
City officials emphasized that the resolution is primarily symbolic and strategic. “We are not raising anything, we not funding anything. This is just a letter of support for the federal government to putting funding for this effort,” said Mayor Cole Stanley during the meeting. The intent is to show Amarillo’s support for a federal framework that could help advance future interstate highway development across the region.
The Future Interstate Highway Formula Program is backed by the Ports to Plains Alliance, a coalition that advocates for improved transportation infrastructure in central North America. According to the organization, the proposed program would create a dedicated mechanism for allocating federal funds to states specifically for planning and constructing interstate highways. The proposal would also exempt those funds from existing Highway Trust Fund “Rate of Return” formulas, allow states greater flexibility in setting annual development priorities, and establish a federal commitment to completing authorized future interstate routes.
Supporters of the resolution pointed to potential economic and mobility benefits for Amarillo and the surrounding region. City of Amarillo Councilmember Place 1 Tim Reid noted that expanded interstate access could increase travel through the area and bring additional short-term visitors. “It’s going to bring just travelers as well as those one-night stays by truckers that are coming through, and they stop, and so we are going to see sales tax revenue increase through it and federal dollars that is going to come through to complete that interstate,” Reid said.
City Manager Grayson Path added broader context to the discussion, highlighting regional disparities in interstate development. He observed that interstate highways are far more prevalent east of the Mississippi River, with fewer routes running through the Midwest and central portions of the country. According to Path, the Ports to Plains Alliance is working to address that imbalance by encouraging infrastructure investment in developing regions like the Texas Panhandle. “They are trying to encourage that more of that activity as we are developing in our part of the country,” Path said.
The resolution also aligns with ongoing state-level transportation planning. The Texas Department of Public Safety has been conducting a US 287 Texas Corridor study over the past several years. The study aims to prioritize multimodal transportation improvements to enhance safety and mobility along US 287 and to evaluate whether the corridor could feasibly be upgraded to meet interstate design standards.
While the resolution itself does not initiate construction or guarantee funding, city leaders view it as an opportunity to position Amarillo within a larger national conversation about future transportation infrastructure. By formally supporting the Future Interstate Highway Formula program, the city is signaling its interest in long-term planning efforts that could shape regional development, safety, and economic activity in the years ahead.
