Reprint from the Progress Times - February 2, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Concerns Voiced At Anzalduas Road Extension Hearing

By David Rodriguez

Everyone had a chance to speak their piece about the Anzalduas Road Extension project at the public hearing Tuesday, January 30.

Many did.

The public hearing, which was presented by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), began sharply at 6 p.m. after a half hour dedicated to the department’s exhibits of maps featuring the proposed right of ways of the project, hydrologic maps and schematics featuring graphics representing where all roads will be constructed.

Mario Jorge, district engineer and authorized representative for TxDOT began the hearing.

The project, as described by Jorge, is a 3.6 mile system of roads that will connect the future Anzalduas International Bridge to U.S. Expressway 83 via Bryan Road. As of now the Anzalduas bridge is in the early stages of planning. A Presidential permit was issued for the construction of the bridge in 1999 by the Secretary of State. Ads to solicit bids for construction of the bridge will begin in March of 2007 with the completed bridge scheduled to open in 2009.

The purpose of the new road construction, as explained by TxDOT, is to create access and connectivity from the proposed new international Anzalduas port of entry to the U.S. Expressway 83 as well as reduce congestion on other highways such as U.S. 281, SH 336 and SP115.

The immediate Anzalduas Road Extension project has been divided into two phases with future construction promised and planned but not explained in specificity.

Phase one of construction consists of construction a four lane divided roadway which would become frontage roads of a controlled access facility or freeway.

Phase two will be the construction of overpasses over the railroad and FM 1016. Main lanes and ramps would connect to frontage roads which would serve as main lanes until the completion of the project. TxDOT hopes to construct both phases simultaneously, but that hinges on a financing agreement for phase two being negotiated with the City of Mission. Financing for phase one is already in place.

Construction costs of both phases is listed at $22.6 million. Financing has been provided by local and state funding sources as well as private industry. Currently, $9 million has been acquired to begin construction.

Future construction alluded to would consist of grade separations or overpasses at Los Indios Road, Collector Street A and Trinity Road. Modifications to U.S. Expressway 83 as well as four main lanes divided by a grassy median are also planned for the future.

Environmental impact approval is scheduled to be granted in April of 2007 and bids will be accepted for phase one of construction in October of this year.

TxDOT’s outlining of the project was only the appetizer of the public hearing however. The comment and question period of the hearing proved to be the main course.

Mission Economic Development Authority (MEDA) President and CEO Pat Townsend spoke first, stating his support for the project.

"When we developed the property at Trinity and Bryan Road we accommodated it in our design feature so that if and when we chose to identify this road in the vision that the City of Mission had, we would be prepared to do that," said Townsend. "We are here this evening in support of this project and we stand ready to assist in any way we can."

Geoff Hall, chairman of the Mission Redevelopment Authority, a local government corporation, also stated his organization’s support for the project.

"We thank you for the work done on this project to date. We commit that we will continue our efforts to bring the project to completion in time for the opening of the Anzalduas International Bridge," said Hall. "We also look forward to the opening of a roadway connector facility that will be a source of pride and benefit to citizens of our area on both sides of the international border."

Not everyone in attendance was as supportive however.

Mark Himmel, CEO of the Brant Management Group and acting as representative of the land owners affected by the project as well as a partner/owner of Mission Nursing Home raised questions many in attendance seemed to have.

"I don’t know why people think we want to give up 220 feet of our frontage. No one has asked us about it. We’re quite concerned about it," said Himmel. "You’re taking not only right up to my front doorstep but 270 feet, approximately a 15 acre strip. I want you to put yourself in my place and stare at a road in front of a residential setting."

Dan Worthington, an attorney representing Mission Hospital, Bert Ogden Motors and Mission Nursing Home as well as Bob Vackar of Bert Ogden Motors each expressed their concerns about the adverse impact of a new expressway located so close to their existing facilities as well as the possibility of commercial trucking being allowed on the road.

"We're very proud of Mission," said Vackar. "I'm worried when you say modifications. I'm very concerned. I'd like to know, in definite that you're not going to build a flyway at that point in the expressway."

Jorge was quick to assure Vackar.

"In this project we are talking about tonight we are not going to touch it," said Jorge. "We might do some operational improvements and in the future, as traffic demands increase, we will then look at another project to look at the next progression. But that is a future project."

However, Jorge's somewhat vague assurances contradicted with what the Progress Times had been told by Homer Bazan, project engineer for TxDOT, last week when Bazan explained that, in the future, phase four would consist of building flyways at Bryan Road and Expressway 83.

Dr. Charles Austin also took the opportunity to voice his dissent.

"Let me tell everyone in Mission that this is going to affect you sooner or later," said Austin. "The citizens of Mission will be paying for this. I think we're on the wrong track."

Following Dr. Austin’s comments Mayor Salinas was quick to respond.

"It’s not going to cost the citizens of Mission anything. Their taxes are not going up, they are going down," said Salinas. "I do want to tell you that we have worked hard in trying to put this together. The $9.5 million dollars we got didn’t cost us anything. We did Bryan Road and people said it wasn’t going to go anywhere and look where it goes now. We have grown like nobody else has grown in the state and I don’t know how in the hell anybody can come here and say it is going to cost the citizens of Mission."

The Mayor went on to address the trucking issue to those in attendance.

"I cannot tell you what we are going to do 10 years from now. We might be able to get trucks going south. I don’t know, but that’s something else," said Salinas. "In 24 months a lot of things can happen. We still have to work on a lot of things before we work on Bryan and the expressway and anything going north. Right now, as far as we are concerned, what I said before in 2003 that we will not have any truck traffic from Trinity north. We’re going to try very hard to keep everybody happy."

Discussion notwithstanding the next step for the project will be a summary and analysis report which will be submitted after review of the report and the comments made at the public hearing.