Another Epic Failure by the BEDC and City of Brownsville with Economic Development

McAllen's Produce Terminal Market with 5 buildings
totaling 294,000 square feet.  200 trucks pass through
the terminal daily to with perishable goods

Starting in the late 50's the new interstate system diverted traffic and potential customers from many businesses along two-lane black top highways.  While Route 66 reinvented itself as a nostalgic tourist area, other highways and their businesses found themselves "off the main path" and dried up economically.  

The City of Brownsville and the so-called Brownsville Economic Development Council intentionally and suicidally CHOSE to be "off the beaten path" of economic growth and development by ignoring the opportunities associated with the newly built Mazatlan-Matamoros Superhighway first proposed in 2007 by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and completed this past year.

Brownsville and the BEDC had 9 years to salivate, prepare and promote the tremendous opportunity to handle their fair share of the transport of fruits and vegetables from the State of Sinaloa, described as "Mexico's breadbasket," with 70-80% of the country's produce grown there.  

"We tried and tried to interest the BEDC into supporting the much needed refrigerated warehouses that are necessary for those transporting fruits and vegetables into the United States.  We explained that the refrigeration cycle could not be broken without suffering loss of shelf life while the produce was inspected.  The BEDC just showed zero interest," explained a staffer with the previous county judge.

One of 60 tunnels on the new Mazatlan-Matamoros
Superhighway

Nogales, Pharr and McAllen have not had their heads up their asses like the City of Brownsville and the BEDC.  Pharr has had its produce storage facilities for 14 year and is expanding to accommodate the expected new traffic and, of course, McAllen has its 294,000 square foot facility pictured above.

By 2020 fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico to the U.S. are expected to increase 73% compared to 2012.  The Rio Grande Valley is expected to receive 60% of that traffic to run up Interstate 69.

Brownsville will not be involved or benefit from this there-for-the-taking business.  That may be one of the reasons that the proposed state-of-the-art truck stop by United Fuel at Paredes Line Road and FM 511 was never built.  I called United Fuel in Salt Lake City, asking why they did not follow through on their plans to construct the facility.

"I honestly do not know," a United Fuel representative told me over the phone.  "I was part of the delegation that went to your area.  It seemed like a very good situation.  May I get back to you on this?"  The company official never got back with me as promised.  Perhaps, United Fuel had learned that the bulk of the superhighway traffic would not be going through Veteran's Bridge at Los Tomates due to non-support from the City of Brownsville.

Los Indios Free Trade Bridge

In late November the Rio Grande Guardian revealed that Cameron County, San Benito, Harlingen and La Joya had taken the plunge to build produce refrigeration warehouses to facilitate commercial traffic through Los Indios Bridge. Once again, short-sightedness of Brownsville officials sabotages the opportunities for economic development.