Lueders: State Highway 4 is crucial to SpaceX’s Starbase facility

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BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Kathryn Lueders, general manager of SpaceX’s Starbase, has given an update on the company’s plans for developing its rocket launching facility at Boca Chica.

Lueders, the first woman to head human spaceflight when she worked for NASA, gave an in-depth presentation when she spoke at a Border Trade Advisory Committee meeting held at the Brownsville Events Center on April 16.

On more than one occasion, Lueders stressed the importance of State Highway 4. TxDOT has plans to expand the highway to four lanes.

“We have over 2,100 personnel go down Highway 4 every day, plus over 500 contractors that are helping support (SpaceX),” Lueders said.

“We have construction in our village area, we have construction in the Star factory area. We’re building another megabank and we’re building a second pad. So, all of that needs people and material and commodities to support all these activities.”

Lueders said there is no other way in or out of SpaceX – just SH 4. Asked by IBC Bank Executive Vice President Gerald ‘Gerry’ Schwebel whether SpaceX brings anything into its facility by rail, Lueders said it does get material delivered by sea into the Port of Brownsville but it is then put on trucks.

“Right now we’re in the process of… everything that is going that is huge, water, gas, everything else, is going down Highway 4,” Lueders said. “We are working on setting up and working with the Public Utility Commission here to be working on a water pipeline. But, we’re also getting our utilities in place for us to be able to minimize some of that traffic. But, Highway 4 is still our major artery for our materials coming in and out.”

Here is a video recording of Kathryn Lueders’ presentation to TxDOT’s Border Trade Advisory Committee.