I-2

About I-2

From Palmview, TX to Harlingen, TX (US 77/83)

Interstate 2 is a short east-west route in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of deep south Texas, running roughly 47 miles between Palmview on the west and Harlingen on the east. It follows the path of U.S. Route 83 and Expressway 83 through the most heavily populated stretch of the valley, threading past the cities that line the lower river just north of the Mexican border. Because it carries the lowest number in the two-digit Interstate grid, it sits at the far southern and far western edge of the national system.

The corridor links the McAllen and Pharr urban area with Weslaco, Mercedes, and Harlingen, serving a fast-growing border region that depends on cross-border trade and agriculture. Along its length it intersects two of the newer south Texas Interstates that carry traffic toward the international bridges. The route is a low-elevation, flat-country freeway typical of the coastal plain, with frequent interchanges serving the densely settled valley towns.

State-by-state mileage

State	Miles
Texas	46.8
Total	46.8

History

Interstate 2 was designated in 2013, making it one of the newest two-digit Interstate routes and, by number, the lowest in the system. The mileage was created by upgrading and re-signing existing Expressway 83, the long-standing U.S. 83 freeway through the valley, rather than by building an entirely new alignment.

The designation was tied to the broader effort to develop Interstate-standard corridors in south Texas, including the new I-69 branches that connect the valley to the rest of the network.

Major cities and places

Did you know

• It is the lowest-numbered Interstate in the United States.
• The route is built almost entirely on the former Expressway 83 freeway.
• It lies farther south than any other two-digit Interstate.
• Both of its Interstate junctions are with branches of I-69, which feed traffic toward Rio Grande border crossings.