Texas Transportation Commissioner Alex Meade speaks at Vistas from Texas event

Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

MCALLEN, Texas - Texas Transportation Commissioner Alejandro “Alex” Meade says his efforts to bring more highway project funding to the Rio Grande Valley is being made easier thanks to nearshoring.

Meade said that these days his fellow transportation commissioners are coming forward to ask what more they can do to help the region.

And, he said, this is happening in large part because of the phenomenon that is nearshoring.

“On the topic of nearshoring… now the coolest thing is starting to happen. I don't have to advocate for the Valley anymore because the other commissioners are learning about nearshoring and they're telling me, hey, what are we doing about nearshoring? What are we investing on the border now?”

Meade said TTC commissioners know that nearshoring in Mexico is benefitting the entire state of Texas.

“Now, all of a sudden, there's an I-27 that's going to connect… there’s all these other projects that we're working on. And it's not me telling them, it's just, with nearshoring we’re creating so much noise with the value that we can (provide) to rest of the country, that folks are coming to us and saying, how can we help the border?

“That, to me, is really cool because when you can show value, when you can be a resource, you don't have to spend your time on trying to sell anything.”

Meade said the economic growth of the border region is adding value to the rest of the state and the nation.

“I really do feel that these next (few) years… we have some really interesting times coming up along the border.”

By way of example, Meade pointed to 13 million square feet of industrial space coming to the El Paso region. He also cited a new international bridge being built at Eagle Pass.

“Nearshoring? It’s happening,” Meade said.

Meade made his comments in a presentation to Valley leaders at an event titled Vistas from Texas: An Economic Outlook. The event was co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, UTRGV’s Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, UTRGV’s Center for Border Economic Studies, and the university’s Department of Economics.
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