State Highway 255 (SH 255) is state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that allows international traffic to bypass Laredo. Located in Webb County, the highway provides a connection between the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge to Interstate 35 (I-35).[1] The route opened in 2000 as the Camino Colombia Toll Road, and was one of the few operating toll roads in the United States to have gone through the legal process of foreclosure. The toll designation was removed from the route in 2017.[2]
 State Highway 255 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camino Colombia Road | ||||
 SH 255, highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
| Length | 22.451 mi[1] (36.131 km) | |||
| Existed | 2004–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Colombia Solidarity International Bridge at the International Border | |||
 US 83 near Laredo | ||||
| East end |  I-35 near Laredo | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Counties | Webb | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
editSH 255 begins at the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge on the Mexico–United States border.[3] From the Laredo Colombia Solidarity Port of Entry, SH 255 heads northeast as a four-lane divided highway and crosses FM 1472 (Mines Road). It then merges down to a two-lane road just west of the former toll barrier. SH 255 continues northeast to an intersection at FM 3338 (Las Tiendas Road)[4] and a diamond interchange with US 83.[5] It continues to the northeast to its eastern terminus at I-35 exit 24.[6] Although the portion from the Mexican border to FM 1472 is officially part of SH 255, it is still signed as FM 255.[citation needed]
History
editPrevious route
editA previous route numbered SH 255 was designated on October 26, 1937, beginning in Bremond and traveling southeast via Franklin and Wheelock to SH OSR.[7] This route was cancelled on April 29, 1942, and the section south of one mile north of Wheelock became FM 46.[8]
Current route
editThe route was originally approved in 1997 as a privately owned toll route for mainly truck traffic to bypass the city of Laredo for traffic congestion. The route was opened as the Camino Colombia Toll Road in October 2000, at a cost of approximately $90 million. SH 255 inherited its number from FM 255, which was designated on the route between the border crossing and FM 1472 on January 30, 1989.[9] The SH 255 designation was extended over this segment on June 30, 2005.[1]
In August 2001, landowners that were shareholders of the route filed a lawsuit, claiming that profits and traffic usage were less than expected. The failure of the route was attributed to the price for truck traffic ($16), the continuation of U.S. government policies banning Mexican trucks from the interior of the United States (which had been expected to be abolished under the North American Free Trade Agreement), and the approval of a new freeway connecting route from the World Trade International Bridge crossing along Loop 20 to Interstate 35.
The toll road was foreclosed on late in 2003 and was purchased at auction on January 6, 2004, by its main creditor, the John Hancock Life Insurance Company, for the minimum $12 million, one-sixth of the construction value.[10] The only other bidder was the Texas Department of Transportation at $11.1 million.[10] The route was subsequently closed to all traffic. On May 27, 2004, TxDOT purchased the route from John Hancock for a negotiated $20 million, and reopened the route in September, dropping the toll to $2.00 for cars and $2.00 per additional axle.[11]
On June 1, 2009, cash collection was discontinued and the use of the TxTag electronic toll collection system (or the interoperable EZ TAG and TollTag system) became mandatory. Unlike other TxDOT-operated toll roads, there was no pay-by-mail option, although the option to set up a prepaid day pass account was provided. Motorists were also able to use Laredo Trade Tags if they were connected to a TxTag account.[12]
During the 2017 Texas legislative session, language was added to Senate Bill 312 that disallowed TxDOT from continuing to operate the route as a toll project.[13] The bill was passed by both the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives on May 30, 2017, was signed by the governor on June 9, 2017, and took effect September 1, 2017.[2]
Major intersections
editThe entire route is in Webb County.
| Location | mi[14] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande | 0.0 | 0.0 | Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge – Mexico Border | Western terminus; continues as Nuevo Leon State Highway Spur 1 | |
| Laredo | 0.2 | 0.32 | Laredo Colombia Solidarity Port of Entry | ||
| 1.3 | 2.1 |  FM 1472 (Mines Road) | At-grade intersection | ||
| 1.9 | 3.1 | Las Minas Boulevard | At-grade intersection | ||
| | 3.7 | 6.0 | Port Industrial Boulevard | At-grade intersection | |
| | 4.7 | 7.6 | CCTR Admin Building | ||
| | 8.2 | 13.2 |   FM 3338 south (Las Tiendas Road) | At-grade intersection, north end of FM 3338 | |
| | 8.7 | 14.0 | Camino Colombia Automated Gantry (18 feet (5.5 m) clearance, no longer tolled as of September 1, 2017[2]) | ||
| | 17.9 | 28.8 | Jefferies Road | At-grade intersection | |
| | 19.3 | 31.1 | US 83 – Laredo, Carrizo Springs | Interchange | |
| | 22.7 | 36.5 | I-35 – Laredo, San Antonio | Eastern terminus; I-35 exit 24 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
References
edit- ^ a b c Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 255". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
- ^ a b c "TxDOT legislation converts Camino Colombia into a non-toll road". LMTonline. August 25, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 2142. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 2143. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 2130. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (2018). Texas County Mapbook (PDF) (Map) (2018 ed.). 1:72,224. Texas Department of Transportation. p. 2131. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "Minutes of the Two Hundred Fortieth Special Meeting of the State Highway Commission" (PDF). Texas State Highway Commission. October 26, 1937. p. 177. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Farm to Market Road No. 46". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Farm to Market Road No. 255". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, John W. (January 7, 2004). "Toll road to Mexico takes bumpy detour". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "Camino Colombia TR begins operations under TXDOT". TOLLROADSnews. September 9, 2004. Retrieved March 14, 2008.[permanent dead link][unreliable source?]
- ^ "Texas Tollways - Camino Colombia". Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
- ^ Section 228.201(d)
- ^ "SH 255" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved September 29, 2013.