Senator John Cornyn has recently proposed the controversial I-47 Future Interstate Act, which would upgrade one of Texas’ most important highways while also naming it after U.S. President Donald Trump. The move did not sit well with many Texas voters, who criticized the Republican politician.
According to reports from the Chron, Senator Cornyn intends to rename US Highway 287 as Interstate 47 in honor of Trump, the 47th President of the United States. He claims that the move will save more than $5 billion in travel costs.
By upgrading the highway to an interstate, many improvements would be made, estimated to cost $24.52 billion. However, they could bring a return on investment of around $39.6 billion, while also creating over 50,000 jobs, according to the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2025 report.
Cornyn is currently a Republican candidate in the Senate primary runoff against Ken Paxton, and this could be seen as an effort to secure Trump’s support in the race.
Texas Voters Criticize John Cornyn’s Interstate Idea
Texas residents disliked the idea of changing the highway’s name to honor Trump. One of them said, “Makes me want to vote for Talarico even more now. Supporting the Trump-Epstein Class is so wrong on so many levels.” Others agreed, claiming that they would “donate to James Talarico in honor of this.”
Others simply lamented the Republican candidates in the senatorial race. A seemingly Democratic voter said, “Paxton is straight up evil, but Cornyn votes straight Trump no matter what. They both have plenty of name recognition, too. I think it will be super close between those two, but we really just need more people to come out to vote for Talarico.”
Some users also suggested that the highway’s name was likely meant to appease Trump. Others disagreed, saying it would not have the intended effect: “He’ll never get the endorsement because Trump doesn’t like him. The only time he’s seen in Texas with his hat on is when there’s an election. Otherwise, he lives in DC. He does nothing for Texans.”
Name aside, what most people seemed to agree on was that the highway, which stretches over 1,800 miles across the country, could benefit from improvements: “The name is [expletive], but 287 needs the work,” one user lamented.
