Rene Ramirez enjoys the peaceful atmosphere of the 1,600-acre El Milagro Ranch that his family has owned and operated for nearly two centuries. But that peace and enjoyment are in jeopardy if the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has its way.
The agency is threatening to expand U.S. Highway 83, which runs in front of the ranch in Zapata County, to the point that it would destroy the ranch house Ramirez just restored in 2020 and the ranch outbuildings. It would be the fifth time that the ranch has had land taken by eminent domain in the last 52 years.
