President Bush signed legislation Oct. 30 designating the so-called "ports-to-plains" commercial corridor that would create a four-lane highway route through Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado, AP reports.

The corridor runs from Laredo and Del Rio, TX, through Lamar and northward along U.S. Highway 287. Organizers hope it will eventually provide a major NAFTA-related trade route linking Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The route designation should aid state officials in getting federal funding to develop the highways. The legislation identifies two routes, since one favored route would have excluded New Mexico and the other would have left out Oklahoma.