BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Cameron County Commissioners court has unanimously approved a resolution in support of the East Loop project that will connect Veterans Bridge to the Port of Brownsville.
The project is being managed by Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority and is one of the top five priority projects for Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The motion to approve the resolution was offered by Commissioner Sofia Benavides and seconded by Commissioner Joey Lopez.
Pete Sepulveda, executive director of CCRMA, said the project is approximately 11 miles long and will connect with the existing South Port Connector road on State Highway 4. He said the Loop will begin at the intersection of I-69E and University Drive and will end on SH 4. He said the cost will be approximately $215 million and that the let date is set for 2027.
“Addressing our area’s mobility, our international trade corridors which are of regional, statewide and national significance, is of the utmost importance,” Sepulveda told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service. “The East Loop project is vital for national and international commercial traffic and to our area’s economic development. It will address congestion, promote public safety, alleviate commute time and improve our resident’s livelihood for many years to come.”
Sepulveda said the East Loop projects is currently going through what is called a “functional classification” process at the Federal Highway Administration. He said that classification will allow the use of federal funds for the project.
“The resolution passed by Cameron County Commissioners Court basically lets the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration know that the project is a high priority for Cameron County since it is an international trade corridor leading to the Port of Brownsville.”
Before the resolution was passed, Commissioner Benavides asked Sepulveda to explain the significance of the resolution. Sepulveda responded that the resolution will help CCRMA access federal funds for the East Loop project. He said the City of Brownsville will also be invited to approve a similar resolution.
“The first segment, which is the South Port Connector road from Altos Road, inside the Port, to State Highway 4 was built and opened a couple of years ago. So the segment from the Veterans Bridge to State Highway 4 is a segment we're working with TxDOT on. Part of the funding that will be utilized for the construction is federal funding. As a result, we're having to go through a process called ‘functional classification’, whereby the Federal Highway Administration will functionally classify the corridor either as an arterial connector street, minor arterial, or major arterial,” Sepulveda explained.
“So we received correspondence last week from the RGVMPO staff that they're coordinating that process with the Federal Highway Administration. They had concerns on some of the streets surrounding the East Loop project. I believe most of those are inside the city limits of the City of Brownsville so I got with the city staff last week to address those.”
Sepulveda continued: “But this resolution… the City of Brownsville will also get a letter of support or resolution. In the event that Federal Highway (Administration) or TxDOT comes back and requests a resolution, I want to have it ready to be submitted to Federal Highway (Administration). We've done several of these in the last ten years or so. This will just solidify the support that the County has for the project and hopefully the Federal Highway (Administration) will move on and functionally classify the project so that we can utilize federal funds for the particular project.”
The CCRMA website has a page dedicated to the East Loop project. It states:
“The City of Brownsville, TxDOT, Cameron County, and the Port of Brownsville have all entered into partnership to further the development of the East Loop project. The East Loop corridor serves the Port of Brownsville, which exports and imports over 6.3 million metric tons of steel petroleum, machinery ores and other international trade exports to our Mexico partners. The East Loop project will also serve as the overweight corridor that runs currently within the City of Brownsville.
“Creating the East Loop Corridor for trucks traveling from Mexico and the Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates to the Port of Brownsville will reduce congestion on I-69E and SH 48, as well as reduce the time of travel on all roadways in the Corridor.
“The East Loop Project consists of the construction of a four to six-lane roadway from SH 4 to I-69E (U.S. 77/83) and the Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates. The SH 32 (East Loop Project) consists of two sections along with the Port Connector Road. SH 32 East is approximately 5.6 miles long and includes the construction of a new four-lane divided highway from FM 3068 to SH 4. The total construction cost of SH 32 East is approximately $45 million. SH 32 West is approximately 4.5 miles long and includes the construction of a new four-lane divided highway from FM 3068/FM 1419 to the Veterans International Bridge and I-69E (U.S. 77/83). The total construction cost of SH 32 West is approximately $25 million.”
