AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Transportation Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., wants to get the IBTC project in Hidalgo County built ahed of schedule.
In remarks at last week’s TTC board meeting in Austin, Bugg acknowledged that Gov. Greg Abbott is pressing for the new truck corridor to be constructed ASAP.
The International Bridge Trade Corridor, otherwise known as IBTC, would provide direct interstate access to several international ports of entry, as well as expedite the movement of goods and freight through the border region.
Earlier this year, at Abbott’s urging, TxDOT allocated $150 million to the IBTC project as part of its Unified Transportation Program.
The IBTC project is slated to have two spurs in the south, one near the Donna International Bridge and the other near the Pharr International Bridge. These spurs are due to meet at an interchange called Valley View in Donna and then extend north to I-2. The total length of the proposed project is 13.15 miles and would traverse the cities of Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, and Donna.
Here is what Bugg said at the TTC meeting:
“I just wanted to comment on a couple of things. I have been around the state and on August the 29th I went to McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley. That was a great event. I had an opportunity to be invited by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce to come and speak about transportation not only statewide but specifically in the Rio Grande Valley. I was joined by Commissioner Meade. Thank you for coming to that.
“And we did have a chance to talk about Governor Greg Abbott, who called on this Commission and TxDOT to allocate $150 million in the 2024 UTP to support the construction of the International Bridge Trade Corridor project, better known as IBTC.
“I’m happy to announce that Phase One of that project was fully funded in this year UTP. And we heard Governor Abbott call on us to to get this important project going and I see a number of representatives from the Rio Grande Valley out in the audience today. Thank you all for being here.
“And we're excited that we can break ground on that. The say, 2026. But I have a way of working with Brian Barth and we try to move those dates up. 2026 sounds like a long way off, but keep taking your vitamins and we'll get this project going.”
