Sepulvedia There are ten times more accidents on International Blvd than the state average

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The number of accidents on Brownsville’s overweight corridor from Veterans Bridge to the Port of Brownsville along International Boulevard is ten times the state average, according to a top transportation official.

Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority Executive Director Pete Sepulveda spoke about plans to move the overweight corridor onto the long-awaited East Loop in an in-depth presentation to members of the South Texas Manufacturers Association.

“Right now, the overweight corridor goes from Veterans Bridge to the Port of Brownsville via International Boulevard. Well, there are about 25 different conflicts. There are signal lights, there are schools, there are residential areas, there are commercial areas, there are retail areas,” Sepulveda said.

“Consequently, because of that, we get anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 trucks carrying the legal limit in Mexico, which, I believe is about 120,000 or 125,000 pounds. So, the accident rate on the stretch from the Veterans Bridge to the Port of Brownsville on International Boulevard is ten times the state average. That is pretty amazing. There have been some fatalities.”

Sepulveda gave his presentation at the Brownsville Events Center. He said it was rare that he was given an hour to make a presentation, so he made the most of it and ran through a gamut of CCRMA projects. The East Loop project is very important to CCRMA, the City of Brownsville, and the Port of Brownsville, Sepulveda said. But it is not yet a priority for the Texas Department of Transportation, he explained.

“This project has been in the books probably for about three decades,” Sepulveda said.

He noted that the Port of Brownsville handles over 6.3 million metric tons of steel, petroleum, machinery ores and other international trade products. Many of the imports are destined for Mexico, which is why the East Loop project connecting to Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates is so important, Sepulveda explained. He said the aim is to reduce congestion on I-69E and State Highway 48.

“International Boulevard is a state road. Why are we doing it? Why are the locals doing it? We’re doing it because it’s a priority. It’s not a priority for the state, but it is for us. And so, we’re developing the project,” Sepulveda said. “Our partners are Cameron County, the City of Brownsville, and TxDOT.”

Sepulveda said it is about a $220 million project.

“We’ve got about 15% of the funds available, but we’ve got a verbal agreement with TxDOT to clear the project environmentally, and we’re almost there. As soon as we get environmental clearance, we can begin acquiring the right of way, which is going to have over 100 parcels, probably about 10 relocations,” Sepulveda said. “So, it’ll get a little bit complicated, but the design is also 95% (complete).”

Sepulveda continued: “I feel very confident that once we start acquiring right away, I’m going to be able to turn it over to the state and say, fund the construction of the project, which will be great.”

In anticipation of this project, Cameron County just completed a $20 million project adding four passenger vehicle lanes at Veterans Bridge, Sepulveda reported.

“That will increase the capacity for passenger vehicles at the Veterans Bridge. And prior to starting the project, and as part of the $20 million commitment, CBP (Customs and Border Protection) said that when it was operational, that they would man every single lane. So, we’ll see if they keep to their promise, but we’ll definitely remind them,” Sepulveda said. “The whole idea, aside from adding capacity, is to reduce the wait times.”

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