Regional mobility officials lay out case for new toll road

Any big infrastructure project is bound to generate controversy, and a toll road is a big project any way you slice it.

The West Parkway project — a proposal to build a $160 million toll road through West Brownsville along an eight-mile stretch of the current Union Pacific railroad corridor — is no exception.

Officials with the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority say the West Parkway is the most logical reuse of the soon-to-be-vacated Union Pacific railroad right-of-way that runs north and south through West Brownsville.

The relocation of the railroad tracks, which is a separate county project, is slated for completion in mid-2011. The parkway project, if it clears all the hurdles, could commence in late 2011. The parkway would follow an eight-mile stretch of right-of-way from the B&M International Bridge north, connecting with Expressway 77/83 just above Alton Gloor.

CCRMA officials argue that Brownsville’s projected population and traffic growth demand a new road, that it will be a boon to the city’s economic development and downtown’s redevelopment, and that it ties in with the larger effort to someday link the Lower Valley with the U.S. interstate system.

Why a tollway? Because there’s no money at the federal or state level to pay for it, which is also why the CCRMA would probably require private investment to actually build the road.

Opponents of the project — most of them residents of West Brownsville — say a tollway would damage the neighborhood, causing property values and quality of life to suffer.

But it’s not a sure thing the West Parkway will ever be built, although CCRMA officials are moving as fast as they can to make it happen. More studies have to be completed before the project gets a green — or red — light from the relevant federal and state agencies.

Richard Ridings, vice president of HNTB, an engineering consulting firm hired by the CCRMA, said the environmental review should be done sometime this summer. The results will be presented at a public hearing — possibly sometime next year. Input will be gathered, and everything will be forwarded to the relevant state and federal agencies for review.

The environmental process looks at several things, including the “purpose and need” behind the toll road. Ridings notes that Brownsville’s population has increased more than 222 percent since 1970, while projections point to further growth of more than 179 percent by 2030.

“That’s without any big economic building booms — just steady growth,” he said. “You do not have to be a genius to figure out that not only this road but a whole lot more is going to be needed if you’re going to double the population.”

He said the parkway makes further sense in light of Mexico’s plans to build a toll road up to the B&M Bridge along its section of soon-to-be relocated KSC rail line, which connects with the Union Pacific line on this side of the border.

“Since Mexico is building a toll road to come right up to the B&M, we believe that there will be sufficient traffic coming from Mexico as well to utilize part of this roadway,” he said.

The West Parkway would not be open to 18-wheelers, only cars and local bobtail delivery trucks, Ridings noted.

The environmental review also includes projected traffic counts and an examination of the pros and cons of alternative routes.

“We are required by the federal environmental laws to study alternatives,” Ridings said. “We looked at improving the B&M Bridge and taking the traffic up Central (Boulevard), widening and improving Central. We looked at the West Parkway route and we also looked at moving it further to the west.”

Of the various options, the Union Pacific right-of-way route would have the smallest impact in terms of the number of acres that would have to be expropriated and the number of homes and/or businesses that would be displaced, he said.

Among the agencies that have to sign off on the project are the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Department of Transportation.

David Garcia, deputy county administrator, said those agencies have to come back with what’s known as a “finding of no significant impact,” or FONSI.

“Once you get a FONSI that said there is no danger to humans or the environment, you’re pretty much good to go,” he said.

Good to go on to the final hurdle, that is — what’s known as the “investment grade” traffic and revenue study.

“That’s the one you have to do when you finally make the decision that you’re going to sell toll road revenue bonds,” Ridings said. “Everything you do up to that is preliminary traffic and revenue studies.”

Preliminary studies have been done that give a general idea of anticipated traffic volume on the toll road, he said. The investment grade study will attempt to get a better handle on traffic volume growth over time and at what point revenues from tolls would be enough to pay for operation and maintenance, and to service the debt. The normal time frame is 10 to 12 years, though sometimes it happens faster, Ridings said.

However, there’s no point in conducting an investment grade study until all other studies are complete and a decision made to move forward. The environmental study, for instance, isn’t done yet. Ridings said it could be done by the end of the summer.

“There’s no reason to do an investment grade traffic and revenue study ... because the information would only be valid for two or three months, then you’d have to start all over,” Ridings said. “So you generally complete your investment grade traffic and revenue study about two to three months before you sell bonds. It’s a very complex, detailed, necessary process to go through.”