FORT WORTH, Texas — The state's newest interstate could cut through East Texas and connect DFW to Amarillo, providing a more direct trade route between the Texas coast and the Panhandle.

The $24.5 billion project would transform U.S. 287 into an interstate. The transformation is outlined in a feasibility study published this summer by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The new interstate would connect Port Arthur to Fort Worth and Fort Worth to Amarillo.

The plan, which TxDOT planners are still considering, would increase the state's gross domestic product by $11.6 billion by 2050 and create about 47,000 jobs, according to the feasibility study. The study projects a total net return on investment of $39.6 billion.

The new interstate would address growing congestion acros

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