The highway was developed in response to the tremendous surge in truck traffic on the I-35 corridor brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement during the late 1990s, especially truck traffic originating from Laredo, where the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reported 150 trucks entering the United States every hour.
A highway was constructed to address a significant surge in truck traffic on the I-35 corridor, which was triggered by the North American Free Trade Agreement in the late 1990s. This increase in traffic was particularly notable from Laredo, with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reporting that 150 trucks entered the US every hour.