The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and RPM xConstruction were joined on Dec. 2, 2025, by elected officials to debut construction for the State Loop 195 (SL 195) project in Starr County, texasborderbusiness.com reported.
The new 17.24-mi.-long roadway will be built in three phases. It will function as a U.S. 83 relief route, running from Farm-to-Market 755 in Rio Grande City to the U.S. 83/Loma Blanca Road intersection in Roma, near Roma High School.
"It's been about 20 years since we first initiated conversations about having State Loop 195," Pharr District Engineer Pete Alvarez told texasborderbusiness.com. "I'm super-excited about this job. I really feel that this area has grown. The folks in Starr County and the folks that go through Starr County, from Laredo to the Valley, deserve a project of this magnitude."
Aside from relieving congestion along existing U.S. 83, which has traffic signals at multiple intersections, the new 83 route will enhance safety while improving mobility and connectivity.
The kickoff event was for the project's first phase. The $62 million investment will connect FM 755 to FM 3167 in Rio Grande City, according to texasborderbusiness.com.
A second phase will connect FM 3167 in Rio Grande City to FM 649 near El Sauz. Construction bids will be sought in late 2026.
A final phase will connect FM 649 to the intersection of U.S. 83 and Loma Blanca Road. Those bids will be sought in 2028.
In all, the project will cost approximately $240 million, texasborderbusiness.com reported.
"In about five to six years, we're going to be able to traverse that entire area, non-stop," Alvarez said.
In all three phases, contractors will build a four-lane divided highway (two travel lanes in each direction), plus shoulders and a grassy median, texasborderbusiness.com reported.
Bridges will be built in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zones and 13 other waterways.
There will be crossovers added at intersections with Charco Blanco Road, Jesse Warren Road, Alvarez Road, San Julian Road and Ebony Avenue.
