Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
EDINBURG, TX – October 31, 2024 — In a recent open letter to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Texas State Representative, House District 40 Transportation Committee Chair voiced strong opposition to a resolution passed by the City of Edinburg that impacts the future of the SH 68/US 281 commercial corridor. This letter, addressed to TxDOT Executive Director Marc D. Williams, addresses significant concerns about the chosen alignment for merging SH 68 with US 281—a choice, Canales argues, that would hinder the region’s economic potential by creating a traffic bottleneck instead of a free-flowing route.
Chairman Canales, a long-time advocate for the Rio Grande Valley, emphasized his commitment to a “regionalism” approach in legislative efforts, striving for solutions that benefit the entire region rather than isolated areas. This principle, he argues, is essential given the region’s rapid growth and critical role in international trade. Currently, the Valley is home to major ports of entry that facilitate billions of dollars in commerce annually and bring an extraordinary volume of commercial truck traffic. To manage this flow effectively, Canales has championed the completion of a dedicated corridor designed to streamline commercial truck traffic from these international bridges to key infrastructure hubs in Texas.
However, Canales is deeply concerned with Edinburg’s recent resolution that endorses merging SH 68 with US 281 at FM 490. According to the representative, this proposed merge point raises two key issues. First, it poses physical limitations due to the proximity of the Edinburg Airport runway, which restricts vertical expansion under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. More critically, the current design forces commercial trucks to stop at a traffic light before merging, undercutting the corridor’s intended purpose of creating an uninterrupted traffic flow from north to south.
In his letter, Chairman Canales called for TxDOT to conduct a comprehensive traffic study of the 490 interchanges, emphasizing that the route should support the region’s burgeoning infrastructure demands while facilitating, not restricting, commerce. He urged TxDOT to engage all Valley cities with interests in international trade to ensure an equitable solution that serves the best interest of the Rio Grande Valley as a whole.
“I am formally requesting that before TxDOT makes any final decisions regarding the SH 68/US 281 interchange, it embraces Senator Hinojosa’s vision of regionalism,” Chairman Canales wrote. “This would involve engaging the leadership of each city with a vested interest in an international bridge or port of entry to ensure the best decision for the entire region.”
Rep. Canales deeply respected Edinburg’s Mayor and City Council, acknowledging their dedication to public service. Nonetheless, he emphasized that opposing this resolution aligns with his mission to champion superior regional development. He reaffirmed his commitment to collaborating with TxDOT to secure a route that best serves the community, Texas, and the nation.
Read the letter below:
Dear Mr. Williams,
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your service, professionalism, responsiveness, and unwavering commitment to the people of Texas, particularly to South Texas—a historically underserved region.Additionally, I would like to express these exact sentiments about the TxDOT Pharr District team and in particularPete Alvarez, the District Engineer.
Since my election in 2013, Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa inspired me to look at my work in the legislature through the lens of “regionalism,” an approach that prioritizes representing the entirety of the Rio Grande Valley as opposed to having tunnel vision and focusing on our legislative districts alone. Since then, our delegation has tirelessly worked together and has accomplished what would have otherwise been impossible, including but not limited to, merging our flagship universities into UTRGV, now the second-highest funded institution in the UT System, and consolidating our MPOs, making us the fifth-largest MPO in Texas. These efforts have funneled billions—not just millions—of dollars into the region, driving one of the state’s fastest-growing and most dynamic economies.
A key contributor to this success is our region’s role as home to some of the country’s largest international ports of entry, which facilitate hundreds of billions of dollars in trade. These ports, along with unprecedented population growth, come with significant challenges and responsibilities. Although TxDOT has developed comprehensive future plans, our region struggles to build the infrastructure fast enough to keep pace with the rapid growth of our area. One of our greatest successes—and challenges—lies in our international bridges. These bridges generate hundreds of billions in trade, and are essential, not only to our booming Texas economy, but to our nation’s supply chain. At theheart of these greatest challenges, is the simple fact that these economic engines come with an extraordinary amount of commercial truck traffic.
To manage this commercial traffic, TxDOT has planned and is currently constructing two key infrastructuresegments: the International Bridge Trade Corridor (IBTC) and Hwy 365. These segments are critical, as these two segments will not only serve five international ports of entry and help manage millions of commercial truck crossings,but will eventually merge with SH68 which runs North and South. This commercial corridor has been the focus of myentire legislative career and is perhaps the most important infrastructure initiative for our region, the state, andpossibly the nation.
As we progress towards the completion of this monumental project, a critical design decision remains unresolved:how and where SH 68 will merge with US 281. TxDOT has proposed several options, and the City of Edinburg has adopted a resolution supporting the route that merges SH 68 with the eastern portion of Farm to Market 490 at its intersection with US 281. I must respectfully disagree with this proposal.
This corridor is, without question, a regional project. I have spoken with the mayors of McAllen, Mission, Pharr,Donna, and Progreso—all cities with interests in international bridges—and none had seen TxDOT’s proposed options or had the opportunity to weigh in on this important decision.
Moreover, based on my conversations with the Pharr District Engineer, TxDOT is still conducting studies on thecommercial traffic capacity of the 490 interchange. There are two significant issues with the 490 option. First, theinterchange lies directly in the path of the only runway at the Edinburg Airport, limiting any future vertical expansion due to FAA regulations. Secondly, because of the inability to expand vertically, every commercial vehicle will be required to stop at a traffic light before merging with US 281, which could result in significant delays, contrary to the corridor’s intended purpose. Given these concerns, I am formally requesting a comprehensive study of thisinterchange’s current and future commercial traffic to ensure it can handle the traffic efficiently and safely. Furthermore, it is important to note that the Pharr International Bridge and the Anzalduas International Bridge have planned expansions, and more growth is inevitable. Additionally, the Pharr International Bridge, which has overseven thousand commercial truck crossings daily, is currently beginning the construction of an expansion that would double the aforementioned capacity.
With all this in mind, I am respectfully requesting that before TxDOT makes any final decisions regarding the SH 68/US 281 interchange, that it embraces Senator Hinojosa’s vision of regionalism. This would involve engaging the leadership of each city with a vested interest in an international bridge or port of entry to ensure the best decision forthe entire region.
As you know, Edinburg is the anchor of my legislative district and a four-time recipient of the prestigious All-America City Award. I deeply respect Mayor Garza and the City Council, who are exemplary public servants. As such, writing this letter in opposition to a resolution passed by the City is difficult, but it is the right thing to do in the spirit ofregionalism.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to working with you to ensure the best outcome for theregion and the state of Texas.
Very truly yours,
Terry Canales
Texas State Representative, House District 40 Transportation Committee, Chair
