FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Congressman Tony Gonzales Visits Pecos to Advance Transportation Projects Supporting Safety and Economic Growth
(Pecos, Texas – July 30, 2025) — The Pecos Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) welcomed Congressman Tony Gonzales to Reeves County to highlight three major infrastructure priorities that are critical to improving public safety, increasing freight efficiency, and supporting long-term economic growth across the region. These projects have been submitted for inclusion in the Texas Department of Transportation’s Unified Transportation Program (UTP) and the Texas Transportation Plan (TTP). The transportation priorities include:
- The Pecos Energy Corridor, a proposed expansion of US 285 from Reeves County to the Texas and New Mexico state line. This corridor, long recognized as one of the most dangerous highways in Texas, serves as a critical route for energy production, freight movement, and interstate commerce. The planned expansion will reduce crash risk, increase roadway capacity, and ensure more reliable travel for both commercial and passenger vehicles.
- The Pecos Relief Route, a planned bypass that will redirect high volume truck traffic away from neighborhoods, schools, and retail areas in Pecos, Texas. This project will improve roadway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and protect local access by separating commercial freight from community traffic patterns.
- The Pecos Freight Village, is designed to improve the safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability of truck operations throughout the region. It will provide 632 truck parking spaces, and will feature a secure and well-lit environment with amenities such as restrooms, showers, and dining facilities. These features will enhance the quality of life for drivers, reduce the risk of fatigue related incidents, and alleviate parking shortages that create unsafe roadside conditions throughout west Texas.
Congressman Tony Gonzales visited Pecos to visit each project location, and to meet with local leaders to discuss how each project is essential to improving safety, strengthening freight mobility, and supporting economic growth across west Texas. “I think the biggest thing is getting federal dollars quicker. If I can infuse federal dollars—not at a small level, not like not 1 or 2 million—if I can infuse hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars into TxDOT, then all of a sudden TxDOT has more resources and they can speed up the timeline.”
“These are not just local projects. They are strategic infrastructure investments that will shape the future of the west Texas economy,” said David Dominguez, Chairman of the Pecos Economic Development Corporation. “With the right support, these projects will protect families, support commercial activity, and reinforce our role as a center of energy and logistics.”
Jimmy Dutchover, Executive Director of the PEDC, emphasized the urgency of investment: “The expansion of US 285 is essential to improving safety and sustaining the industries that depend on this vital corridor between Pecos and the Texas/New Mexico state line. Making the relief route and the Pecos Freight Village a reality will modernize freight mobility and improve safety for all drivers. We are grateful for Congressman Gonzales’s leadership and the unified effort of our local partners.”
The PEDC, in partnership with the Town of Pecos City, Reeves County, and Emergency Services Districts No. 1 and No. 2, remains committed to securing the infrastructure funding necessary to meet the region’s growing demands.
For more information, please contact:
Pecos Economic Development Corporation
Jimmy Dutchover
PEDC Executive Director
jimmyd@pecosedctx.com
432-445-9960 Office
432-448-6109 Cell
