Port of Eagle Pass Trade Summit Showcased at Texas Transportation Commission Meeting
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2023
The record setting 2023 Port of Eagle Pass Trade Summit recently held on June 22, 2023 was showcased by Texas Transportation Commissioner W. Alvin New at the Commission’s Board of Directors Meeting held on Thursday, June 29, 2023, highlighting the significant international trade growth at the Port of Eagle Pass and its impact on Texas’ economy and transportation system, announced Homero Balderas, Director of the Eagle Pass International Bridge System.
Texas Transportation Commissioner Alvin New and fellow Commissioner Alex G. Meade, III both personally attended the Port of Eagle Pass Trade Summit held on June 22 and were impressed with the growth of the Port of Eagle Pass export and import trade numbers and its rise to becoming the 34th largest port of entry in the United States among 450 ports of entry with $34.2 Billion in international trade during 2022.
Balderas stated the presentation of the Port of Eagle Pass at the June 29 Texas Department of Transportation Commission meeting by Commissioner New is important as it places the Port of Eagle Pass and the City of Eagle Pass on the radar screen of the TxDOT Commission, which is responsible for financing and managing all transportation infrastructure projects in Texas.
During the Port of Eagle Pass Trade Summit, TxDOT Commissioners New and Meade learned of the impressive growth and potential of the Port of Eagle Pass concerning the future of Texas-Mexico international trade.
With the start of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement in 2020, the Port of Eagle Pass will play a major role in handling the large trade growth between the United States, Mexico and Canada. To facilitate this trade growth, the Port of Eagle Pass and the City of Eagle Pass will require significant investments of the transportation system to handle the anticipated trade, including completion of Loop 480, expansion of U. S. Highway 57 into a four lane highway from Eagle Pass to Moore, Texas, and the development of the Ports-to-Plains Highway.
State of Coahuila Secretariat of Economy Claudio Bres-Garza stated at the Port of Eagle Pass Trade Summit held on June 22 that the anticipated growth of international trade at the Port of Eagle Pass by 2050 is projected to reach $750 Billion compared to its $34.2 Billion in 2022. Bres-Garza noted that both the States of Coahuila and Texas must prepare themselves for this huge anticipated trade growth through the Port of Eagle Pass and develop the necessary transportation infrastructure required to handle this large volume of trade.
Balderas noted that the Port of Eagle Pass goal is to become one of the premiere international trade hubs between Texas and Mexico.
Joining Balderas at the Texas Transportation Commission Board meeting on June 29 was City of Eagle Pass Engineer Danny Magee.
