On Thursday afternoon, Rep. Henry Cuellar held a telephone conference to discuss the new highway infrastructure bill called the Moving Forward Act and what it meant for the Laredo area and beyond.

Cuellar especially focused on two amendments he added to the bill to ensure two projects are completed within the legislation. These are the secured designation of the I-27 ports-to-plains corridor as a future interstate and the secured amendment that will help trains from blocking streets that create higher congestion.

I-27 is currently slated to be connected to I-35 and then Highway 83. But as the USMCA already entered into effect on July 1, Cuellar believes the route should be changed a bit by legislators in Austin to help reduce congestion in one of Laredo’s busiest areas.

“The way the state did this is that they are looking from going to Laredo, up I-35, up H-83 and then all the way up to West Texas, but I got a commitment from my Republican friends that I would set this designation then that they would consider an alternative route from Laredo up to Mines Road and then connect up the river, pass Columbia and connect to Eagle Pass,” said Cuellar.

He said he hopes that legislators in Austin could achieve this as it would be good for the Mines Road area that needs attention. Congestion and traffic is immensely high in the area and this route will help alleviate some of the traffic to go through this new interstate highway. Cuellar also believes that both Laredo and Eagle Pass’ economy would also benefit from such plan, plus products would be delivered faster.

Cuellar also argues that such project would benefit Homeland Security by helping U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to have more ability to survey the new area.

“Instead of building a wall, we would also have Border Patrol that could go up and down the border as everybody that has driven the 125 miles from Laredo to Eagle Pass understands what they have to travel. But this would be a straight drop,” Cuellar said.

According to the congressman, the new project would also help create jobs in the area — not only temporary jobs for those working on the construction of the new route, but also for individuals that will use these areas to work from.

On the floor of the House of Representatives, Cuellar also made statements in support of his amendment in stating how valuable it will be to the area in terms of trade across Mexico and the interior of the United States and Canada as well.

“This designation will make Texas and New Mexico eligible for increased federal funding to complete the I-27 highway expansion project, creating economic growth, jobs, trade opportunities across those two states,” Cuellar said.

“The I-27 expansion will grow the Texas G.D.P. by $17.2 billion and create 178,000 construction jobs. It would also add 17,000 long-term employment opportunities in the new I-27 corridor. It would also make Laredo the only port of entry that will have three corridors: I-35, I-69, I-27.”

The information provided by the congressman is data that was collected from a survey done in correlation to the possible construction of the new route to facilitate traffic and increase trade as well.

In the conference call, he also pointed out that the new project will help trade in the Laredo area to increase by 5% or more, a trend that was already being seen before the COVID-19 pandemic halted many activities except those considered essential. As well, the project will also help connect many of the smaller cities and communities along the west side of the southern part of the state like Eagle Pass and Del Rio, which would allow for more trade to be done in the area and also for a closer connection to the state of New Mexico.

The congressman’s train amendment was also made in consideration of the fact that many trains throughout the inland port of Laredo and surrounding areas sometimes stagnate drivers assigned with trade goods that often leads to more congested traffic. He proposed ending this by redirecting such train lines through infrastructure as well.

Since Laredo is the largest land port in the area and trains are one way that trade is brought into he country via the city’s port, Cuellar noted the significance of the congestion of trains in the city and how it merits solutions.

“Over 4,000 trains cross through my district each year, facilitating two-way trade with Mexico, and economic prosperity for South Texas and the U.S,” Cuellar said.

“However, it is critical that we ensure that these exchanges are done in a safe manner and without impeding the daily life of those who live at the border. This new grant program will maximize safety at grade crossings by funding projects that will create solutions, such as infrastructure improvements and new communications tools, to prevent accidents.”

The need for bettering and enhancing infrastructure in the area is important considering the fact that Laredo is the No. 1 land port in the country, and it facilitates over 60% of all U.S.-Mexico trade, Cuellar argued. It contributes to the more than $120 billion in U.S.-Mexico cross-border trade each year.