Roundtable discussion at Anzalduas Bridge about transportation infrastructure – Part One

MISSION, Texas – Asked if he learned anything new about the transportation needs of Hidalgo County on his recent visit, state Sen. Robert Nichols of Jacksonville said, “yes.”

Nichols said he learned that local leaders want a connector from Bryan Road to I-2 so that an expected surge in truck traffic to and from Anzalduas International Bridge does not to stop at traffic lights.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the cost of the Bryan Road/I-2 connector project is estimated at $150 million.

Nichols is chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation and a former commissioner on the Texas Transportation Commission. He participated in a private roundtable discussion about transportation infrastructure at Anzalduas International Bridge on April 22.

After the roundtable discussion had ended, many of the stakeholders gave interviews with news reporters. Here is the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service’s interview with Nichols.

Another key stakeholder at the roundtable discussion was Juan Olaguibel, superintendent of bridges for the City of McAllen. In his interview with the Guardian, Olaguibel spoke about the timeline for the expansion of Anzalduas International Bridge. More lanes are being added so that fully loaded trucks can go northbound and southbound. Currently, only empty trucks going southbound can use the bridge.

Olaguibel also spoke about the potential for more industrial parks in south Mission and McAllen once Anzalduas International Bridge has been expanded.

CIL Group president and founder Joaquin Spamer also attended the roundtable discussion, in his role as chairman of the Border Trade Alliance of Mexico. Spamer said he was encouraged by the positive nature of the discussions and the fact that stakeholders are now thinking regionally. He said the meeting did not just cover the expansion of Anzalduas International Bridge but also connecting all the ports of entry in Hidalgo County.

Pedro ‘Pete’ Alvarez is Pharr district engineer for TxDOT. Alvarez said that in the roundtable discussion, he made the stressed the economic importance of the South Texas region. He made similar points at a TxDOT Border Trade Advisory Committee meeting in Brownsville last week. He said it was crucial to not only move commercial traffic across the international bridges in a timely fashion, but also safely through the Rio Grande Valley and onto the rest of Texas.

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series on the roundtable discussion about transportation infrastructure at Anzalduas International Bridge. Part two will be posted in our next edition.

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