Toll road project: worthy or not?

At least two area residents stated that under no circumstances would they use a proposed eight-mile toll road if built in Cameron County.

Their statements were made Tuesday during a public meeting on the proposed toll road, which may be constructed from the B&M International Bridge, near downtown Brownsville, to U.S. Expressway 77/83.

Olmito resident Joan Smith said although the toll road would not go through her property, she said motorists shouldn’t be asked to pay tolls considering the state of the economy.

"I will never get on your toll road. I will never pay your toll," a defiant Smith said. "You are going to have to find another way to pay for this and, when you fail, we are still going to be paying."

The toll road, known as the West Parkway Project, is a venture of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, which is charged by the state of Texas with developing transportation infrastructure for the betterment of the county.

The West Parkway Project is estimated to cost $130 million.

A presentation on the proposed roadway was also made during the meeting.

Officials said the toll road is needed to help with projected traffic congestion in the region.

By 2010 the population along both sides of the South Texas-Mexico border, from Brownsville to Reynosa, is expected to be about 3.5 million residents, and by 2040 that number is expected to double to 7 million, said Bobby Balli, of the HNTB Corp., which is the engineering firm working on the proposed project.

Pete Sepulveda Jr., CCRMA coordinator, said if the toll road were constructed there would be no burden to taxpayers. The road would ideally be funded with money collected from the tolls.

Should the project be deemed unsuccessful further down the road, bondholders would be the ones at risk and not the taxpayers, Sepulveda stressed.

Brownsville resident Ana Maria Ortega, said, "Why in the hell is this being built when it is not needed?"

Ortega said she believed the project is "politically motivated" and the people who would be affected by the project are not being told the entire truth.

She added that if the toll road were built, it could hurt the Rio Grande Valley’s birding industry because the road would cut through habitats visited by birders.

"Are we going to kill the golden goose by doing this?" Ortega asked. "I won’t ever, never pay a cent to use it."

Robert Euresti, another Brownsville resident, said the project was already a "done deal."

Since June 2008, the CCRMA has held several meetings in neighborhoods that could be affected by the roadway and has taken the concerns of residents into consideration, Balli said.

"No decisions have been made. Everything is conceptual," Balli told the audience of about two dozen concerned residents.

David Allex, CCRMA chairman, said he understands the residents’ concerns, but believes they aren’t well informed about the project and may not have attended informational meetings sponsored by the CCRMA.

"I can appreciate their opinion and I think they have a right to their opinion and I hope we never get to the point where we are dictators," Allex said.

If approved, the project could bring not only jobs to the community, but safety as well, Allex said, adding that the parkway would be the envy of communities throughout the United States.

He anticipates a final decision on the project by the beginning of next year.

"We (CCRMA) will either make a decision one way or another," Allex said.

However, the Federal Highway Administration would make the final decision as to whether the project becomes reality.