BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Regional mobility and economic infrastructure leaders are expanding marketing efforts to boost cross-border commercial traffic while actively preparing for critical regional utility demands, according to Pete Sepulveda, executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority.
Speaking during a monthly meeting of the South Texas Manufacturers Association at the Brownsville Events Center, Sepulveda outlined how Cameron County is responding to international trade shifts and addressing infrastructure challenges spanning water availability, energy capacity, and digital connectivity.
Following his keynote presentation, Sepulveda fielded questions from regional business representatives and local community members regarding commercial bridge performance, industrial growth, and utility readiness.
During the Q&A session, Minerva G. Loera of Loera Customs Brokerage, Inc., raised concerns regarding a decline in commercial truck crossings at Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville, pointing out a noticeable disparity when compared to higher volume crossings in Hidalgo and Webb counties.
"When Brownsville crosses, just for the sake of an example, 1,000 trucks a day, Pharr Bridge crosses 4,000 or 5,000, Laredo crosses 15,000," Loera noted, asking whether local entities are actively promoting the bridge system to maquiladoras and logistics operators in Mexico’s interior.
Sepulveda confirmed that Cameron County launched targeted marketing initiatives two years ago and is now accelerating those efforts under its newly established Economic Development Department, headed by Ramiro Aleman.
"We started that a couple of years ago, and we're aggressively doing more marketing," Sepulveda said. "The county created an economic development department... and working with the International Bridge System is looking at more marketing of our bridge system."
Sepulveda highlighted that the ongoing deepening of the Port of Brownsville’s ship channel—from 42 feet to 52 feet—will unlock substantial opportunities for containerized cargo and commercial traffic.
"We obviously welcome any input from anyone that has any ideas or any areas that we need to target where we can increase our presence," Sepulveda added, noting that the county maintains a dedicated marketing budget to bolster cross-border trade positioning.
Jerry McDonald, a software developer based in Laguna Vista, questioned Sepulveda on how county transportation corridors align with plans to resolve regional technical deficits in potable water, electric power distribution, and fiber optic infrastructure.
While acknowledging that county governments do not possess the same ordinance-making authority as municipalities, Sepulveda emphasized that utility constraints directly impact long-term transportation and economic development strategy.
To mitigate water scarcity, Sepulveda stated that Cameron County is taking an active role alongside neighboring Willacy and Starr counties, local irrigation districts, and private sector stakeholders to identify multi-county water solutions.
Regarding digital infrastructure and large-scale industrial demand, Sepulveda revealed that Cameron County recently issued a site development permit for a data center project near Harlingen.
"Just a week or two ago, [the county] received a site development permit from Cameron County to proceed with their development in the Harlingen area, just adjacent to the Port of Harlingen," Sepulveda disclosed.
Sepulveda noted that while counties must operate within state statutory limits and governor guidelines regarding utility management, Cameron County is financially prepared to invest alongside regional partners.
"At the end of the day, if we don't have those utilities in place, then that's going to negatively impact any development in our county," Sepulveda cautioned. "Since the Valley created the regional MPO, a lot of the economic development, the protection of workforce, education, and healthcare has now become a regional effort. If we can add water, electricity, and data into those regional efforts, I think we'll be okay."
Editor's Note: The above news story is the third in a five-part series featuring the analysis of Pete Sepulveda, executive director of Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority. Click here to read Part One and here to read Part Two.
