Cameron County RMA welcomes presidential permit for Flor de Mayo project

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Pete Sepulveda, Jr., executive director of Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, has welcomed the White House’s approval of a presidential permit for Flor de Mayo International Bridge.

The $30 million project will be built at the end of Flor De Mayo Road, which connects to the southern end of Alton Gloor Boulevard at Military Highway, on the western side of Brownsville.

“We’re very happy, very excited. We think it (the presidential permit) is going to knock some time off the project schedule. We’re very excited about working with Mexico,” Sepulveda said, in a video interview with the Rio Grande Guardian.

“We’ve done quite a bit of work on it. We’ve got the right of way that’s necessary for the project. And we’re probably in the middle of a NEPA process. We think it’s going to be a big help for Brownsville and Matamoros as well.”

NEPA stands for the National Environmental Policy Act.

Sepulveda pointed out CCRMA has been working on the project for many years. Asked how many, Sepulveda said:

“Probably about seven, eight years. We did an original feasibility study, and then we’ve updated it once or twice. But we never had the luxury of saying that we had a presidential permit. That changes everything. I think that it becomes a lot more credible project, having a presidential permit. And so, we’re ready to start that planning process with Mexico and move the project forward.”

Sepulveda said that on the Brownsville side of the bridge there are lots of residential properties, with major retail stores at the intersection of Alton Gloor Boulevard and I-69 East. On the Matamoros side it is industrial/commercial.

“The (maquila) plant managers actually live on the U.S. side, but they go into Matamoros on a daily basis. So, it will be ideal for all those employees that work in that industrial area, because it’ll be a straight shot from Brownsville into Matamoros.”

A map showing where the Flor de Mayo International Bridge will cross the Rio Grande. (Photo credit: Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority)

Sepulveda also pointed out that the bridge will only be available to passenger vehicles and pedestrians.

“Because on the Brownsville side it is a highly dense residential area, we did not want any commercial traffic in there. So, it’ll be strictly for passenger vehicles and pedestrians. So that in itself makes a project a lot easier as well.”

When asked why the new bridge is important, Sepulveda referenced all the new jobs the liquefied natural gas export terminals are going to create at the Port of Brownsville.

“We’re going to have a big influx of people. So, we need that international mobility between Brownsville and Matamoros to continue to have a good flow of traffic on the border here in Brownsville.”

Editor’s Note: Here is the Guardian’s video interview with Seplveda:

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