By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Members of the city’s international bridge board heard an update Tuesday on the city’s plans to build a second international bridge, as well as a suggestion to improve a recurrent traffic problem in the vicinity of the existing bridge.
Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez gave the update on work that has been done toward the construction of a second international bridge. Chavez first reminded the board, which is chaired by Mayor Al Arreola, that a much longer and more detailed report had been provided at the board’s regular meeting in February.
Chavez told the board members, “We had an update from our consultant (Michael Riojas of RRP Consulting) at our last bridge board meeting. Since then there was meeting held here at city council chambers that the consultants from both sides, the Mexican and U.S. sides, had their biweekly meeting. They did have a planned visit scheduled, and so we did have a meeting held here, which, again, they gave an update to those involved, as far as the U.S. and the Mexican side.
“We also had a trip that we took down to Washington (D.C.). We did go with our mayor, Councilman (Jim) DeReus, and we did take along some community leaders and we ended up meeting with the U.S. Department of State/Mexican Affairs and we introduced the second international bridge project and also made them aware that the city is working on the (application for) presidential permit. We had the opportunity to have the explanation and we did mention that presidential permit is being worked on. We are currently working on the environmental piece of it.
“We should start to see more movement on that particular front, and the consultant, Mr. Michael Riojas, should be making another presentation to city council here in the next few council meetings,” Chavez said.
When he had completed his short update, Arreola asked the other two bridge board members present at the meeting, Frank Mendoza and Seferino Gomez III, if they had any questions.
Gomez did not have questions about the update, but said he wanted to bring up an issue “and I wanted to see if it needed to have board approval.”
Gomez said he has noticed there are at times traffic issues on State Loop 239, which connects the existing international bridge to Del Rio roads, especially when there is a train blocking the crossing at Farley Lane and Cienegas Road.
“There is a railroad crossing there at Farley and Cienegas Road and a lot of times will have a lot of industrial traffic or commuting traffic going down that road (Farley), and if there is a train, they have to turn around and sometimes that is difficult for the 18-wheelers to turn around or for individual cars to turn around,” Gomez said.
“So I think it would be beneficial, coming from the bridge board, coming from our body, if we could approach Union Pacific or TxDOT to see if we could have a light or have an indicator so that way people won’t turn (onto Farley from Loop 239 ) and end up in a traffic jam and possibly having an accident if they’re coming from the bridge or going toward the bridge,” Gomez said.
“That’s a good point,” Arreola said.
Gomez said the light or train indicator would have to be visible from the Loop “because once you turn onto Farley it’s too late.”
Arreola said the city could work with the county and TxDOT to forward Gomez’s suggestion.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
