Aleman: Truck crossings at Los Indios Free Trade Bridge are up 150 percent

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The Los Indios Free Trade Bridge has seen truck crossings grow 150 percent over the past year, Cameron County’s economic development director has reported.

Ramiro Aleman spoke about the international bridges under the purview of Cameron County when appearing as a panelist at the recent RGV StartUp Week extravaganza. The panel Aleman appeared on was titled “Nearshoring the Valley: Industrial Development Trends in the RGV.”

The panel discussion was sponsored by OrigoWorks, a full-service real estate firm based in Brownsville. It was held at the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization in downtown Brownsville.

“According to a report from the (Cameron County) Regional Mobility Authority, the commercial trucks crossing Los Indios has increased 150% over the same time last year,” Aleman said.

“One hundred and fifty percent. We also see the sales tax numbers. They’ve increased more than 30 percent. So, far as opportunities at Los Indios, there’s plenty of opportunities there. And I think that’s the next location where you will see a lot of industrial development taking place. Why? Because it’s a direct shot for Matamoros and the east side of all the industrial parks there. So, yes, there’s a big opportunity at Los Indios.”

The Los Indios Free Trade Bridge, otherwise known as the Los Indios-Lucio Blanco Bridge, connects Los Indios, Texas, to Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Aleman said the advantages Los Indios has going for it include having an overweight corridor and an oversized designation.

“Los Indios has an overweight corridor. An overweight corridor allows trucks above the legal limit the United States to pass over (the bridge) with a permit. So, what does that mean? That means more products coming across, with less time consumed, and a straight shot to the Port of Harlingen, the industrial park in Harlingen, and even to Valley International Airport, east side.”

Aleman said the overweight corridor is already established by state law.

“They also have an oversized corridor, so any oversized loads that come through this area must go through Los Indios. For example, you see all the wind blades coming across. They are going to the Port of Brownsville (from Los Indios).”

Los Indios also has the avenge of being able to store fresh produce in cold storage facilities. “You don’t want to put it in the Rio Grande Valley sun to get inspected. So, they have an area there where you can take it out, inspect it, put it back in, and never break the cold chain,” Aleman explained.

“There is also a USDA lab there that’s on site. So, if they need to inspect any type of fresh produce that comes through, they can expect it on site. They do not have to send it out somewhere else (to be inspected).

In his remarks, Aleman also spoke about infrastructure improvements at Veterans Bridge at Los Tomates, Gateway International Bridge, and the new Flor de Mayo International Bridge that will handle car vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

The moderator of the panel discussion was Ramiro Gonzalez, development director for OrigoWorks. The other panelists were Ricardo Rubiano of Rubio Group Capital, Alex Garza, partner and managing broker for ICO Real Estate, and Maricarmen Cadena, an industrial real estate broker at CRE.

Here is a video recording of the panel discussion:

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