By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Members of the Del Rio Economic Development Corporation (EDC) board discussed plans for a second international bridge during their most recent meeting, with several members speaking in favor of the project.
The discussion came during the EDC board’s April 4 meeting after Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez gave an update on the city’s work toward construction of a second international bridge
Chavez told the board he had provided them with a hard copy of the presentation the city’s consultants on the second bridge project, RRP Consulting, had provided the city’s international bridge board in February.
“I know this board (the EDC board) hasn’t received any update regarding the second international bridge, but we want to bring everyone up to speed as far as where we’re at in the project,” Chavez said.
“The current phase is the presidential permit phase, and the consultants have already worked through two phases prior to this, which were the feasibility study phase one and the feasibility study phase two, and this whole project started as early as 2012, 2013, and to obtain a presidential permit usually takes around 10-plus years. Unfortunately, we’re kind of behind that time schedule, but in talking to the consultants, we’re looking at presenting a presidential application as early as September of this year, if everything else continues to flow.
“The current status, we’re trying to figure out additional routes (between the planned bridge and area highways) to be able to come back and have another public meeting that we should be able to move forward from that point.
“The next steps is to conduct an environmental study in that particular area, and that’s the last piece that’s needed to submit (an application for) a presidential permit.
“As we’ve gone through this whole process, the site selection, which was part of the first feasibility study, is currently, as previously mentioned, agreed between the Mexican counterparts and the United States and the current discussion is the selection of the actual route to that particular site selection.
“We have been communicating with members of TxDOT as well. As we continue to work with our consultants and with the federal government, that next step, if everything gets approved, is to continue to work with TxDOT, and once all that lines up, we are looking at possibly either funding this through either fares, and we are looking at trying to tailor this second international bridge as a commercial bridge and so it’ll move some of the traffic (from the current bridge) to the second international bridge and part of the whole process is to look at any estimates that we’re looking at in the future, but at this point in time, we are focused on the presidential permit.
“The presidential permit phase should have taken 18 to 24 months. We’re beyond that at the moment, but we have to continue to work with our consultants, along with the consultants that the Mexican government has in place, so we continue to work together toward that presidential permit on the U.S. and Mexican side,” Chavez finished.
After Chavez finished, EDC Board President Ken Smith said he had “a couple of comments.”
Smith said, “You know, when you look at Del Rio POE (port of entry) and the evolution over the last 30 years, you look at all that commercial traffic we used to see driving around here on Las Vacas to the POE. Fast forward, they built the spur (Spur 239), and the spur kind of peeled that traffic off Las Vacas and the residential area. Fast forward to maybe 12, 13 years, and they destroyed the old POE and built a new POE that exists there today. Then fast forward to the SENTRI lane and the new commercial lane (at the existing bridge).
“Even though all of that evolution occurred through all those years, it’s a traffic jam. We’re seeing pedestrians during the holiday season choose not to cross the border. This is a bilateral border. We’ve got family members on both sides of the border that want to enjoy each other on holidays, and when you go into the holiday season and you’ve got six hours’ wait time to cross the border, that makes it unfeasible for grandparents to go across, so they can’t walk or wait six hours to cross the border. A normal holiday, two hours’ wait to cross back,” Smith continued.
“The bottom line is, that evolution’s got to continue. The border traffic has increased over the last 10 years by 23 percent. This year, commercial traffic has increased. It’s not slowing down, and it’s going to increase, so the evolution naturally would lead you to believe we need a second bridge.
“The location, while I get the concerns of members of the community, no matter where you put it, you’re going to get a concern, concerned citizen. This traffic has been going on for years, and those decisions, while everything could be changed, it takes a group to make a change, and I don’t support making a change.
“With that said, I appreciate the update, and I’ll open it up to comments from other board members,” Smith said.
EDC board member Sergio Diaz asked, “So the second site has not been determined yet? We’re still working on the second site?”
“The routes, yes, and that will be our third route selection, and as I mentioned, once the consultant finalizes that, based on terrain and also speaking with some of the landowners, that will be presented as part of our next public meeting, so that everyone has a chance to review and that’s pretty much where the current work is at,” Chavez replied.
Diaz then asked City Economic Development Director Jorge Ramon about a third international bridge being built in Eagle Pass and asked if that construction was being funded through private investment.
Ramon replied, “Yes, that’s correct. There is a third international bridge project in Maverick County, and that is a private bridge. They’ve already acquired property. They’ve acquired rights-of-way, and they’ve already submitted for a presidential permit a couple weeks ago, so they are moving forward.”
“So the city and the county will have no control over (the new bridge)?” Diaz asked.
“No, in fact, they’re having some discussions between the city and county because it’s outside the city, and so they no control. It’s privately owned. The investment is there. They have the funding. They’re just waiting on the response to the presidential permit (application) response,” Ramon replied.
“So that works for them. Could that happen here?” Diaz asked.
“It could. There’s been some investors also talking, yes,” Ramon said.
Diaz said he believed the city should renew talks with the county and work with the county and citizens “to come up with a solution that we can all benefit from.”
“If we don’t step up and do something about it, other investors are doing it. I’m just glad that we have not picked a route yet, so we can keep looking for other options,” Diaz said.
Smith said he had a few more comments regarding economic development.
He wondered aloud how many economic development opportunities were lost because of the two-hour wait times at Del Rio’s existing bridge.
“Obviously, the commercial traffic is growing and will continue to grow. It’s not a secret. There’s close to, I’d guess, a million square footage of added development going on in Acuña right now and there’s close to 500,000 square feet of additional commercial square footage being added in Del Rio. Del Rio manufacturing segment, the school district and federal jobs, those are the three main key (economic) pillars of this community, so it’d be smart for us to motivate that growth.
“We happen to be one in seven across the nation that’s a growing trade port. That’s a big deal, and it’s going to continue to grow,” Smith said.
EDC Board Member Raul Barksdale said, “In addition, the companies that look to do business in Del Rio, part of it is, how many transnational bridges, and that’s something they compare to other areas, like Eagle Pass, Laredo, and they say they’d rather do their business in those cities.”
Barksdale added Del Rio is growing and second international bridge “is important to us.”
One of the county residents who earlier in the meeting spoke in opposition to a second bridge, Lori Reyes, called out from her seat in the audience, “So make it make sense. Put it on the (old) Moody Ranch south of town. Don’t destroy homes. Make it make sense.”
“We’re not saying no bridge. That’s not what we’re saying,” a second resident, Jordan Ediger, added.
“We live in south Texas with thousands of miles of vacant land,” he added.
“You all had your three minutes,” Smith said, cutting off further commentary.
Smith asked if any board member had additional comments.
Another board member asked Chavez how quickly plans for additional routes between the planned second bridge site and area highways could be made public.
“That’s something that the consultant is tying to turn around within a month or so, so we can continue and meet the September deadline. That needs to be done so we can submit the presidential permit (application)” Chavez replied.
EDC Board Member Richard Robles said he had attended a meeting several months ago.
“It was attended by elected officials from both sides of the border, and one of the reports that were given to us at the time, the traffic that is projected within the next five to 10 years, there’s no doubt we do need a second bridge. The main thing is we need to work with the community in finding a route that’s going to affect the least (number) of people, but we definitely need a second bridge,” he said.
Ramon also added additional comments.
He told the board there are four international bridges besides the second planned bridge outside Del Rio on the drawing boards along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The growth is there, it’s coming. We’ve just got to select a route. Everybody’s fighting for additional bridges,” Ramon said.
He said currently work is being done to bring more traffic to the existing bridge, adding a second international bridge “is definitely needed.”
The board took no action following the discussion.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
Here’s what community members had to say during the “Comments” section of the meeting.
