MCALLEN, Texas - Walker Smith, port director of the Port of Harlingen, gave brief remarks at a South Texas Manufacturers Association luncheon held at the Double Tree by Hilton in McAllen on Aug. 21.
The port is a member of the association.
Smith made news when he said the port is in the process of developing a 600-acre rail site.
Smith started his presentation by asking how many people in the audience knew there was a water port in Harlingen. Not many hands went up.
“We get that quite a bit. Yes, there is a water port in Harlingen” Smith responded. “We are a shallow draft inland port in Harlingen, and we provide multimodal connectivity via pipeline, some rail, and, obviously, water and road.
“We provide connectivity to Mexico, to the region, and the Gulf states via the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, as well as the Midwest. You can get on a boat at the Port of Harlingen and get all the way to the Great Lakes. So we provide a lot of connectivity that most people don't realize nor understand.”
Smith concluded his brief report by saying: “We're in the process right now of developing about a 600-acre rail site. We are looking to develop a rail port there as well. So thank you for the opportunity to be here.”
The Port of Harlingen’s 2025-2026 Blueprint for the Future Annual Report includes information about the rail expansion plans.
“Most notably the port's goals include building a more robust rail system, widening its turning basin, diversifying commodities, and a goal of 7.5 to 10 million in annual tonnage by 2036,” the report states.
“Currently the port is preparing its rail expansion and rail yard development project for grant funding opportunities. The project includes expansion of 14,500 ft of new track and a 100-car capacity. The rail yard is set to be constructed on property across from the main port site on the west side of FM 106 within a more than 800-acre property and connecting to the port's existing 3,700 ft of track. The total cost of the project is estimated at 30 million.”
In the report, Smith states: “The entire project will be done in phases, with the first phase being our rail yard construction. Rail is a modality we are lacking in and has been a huge missed opportunity for us to grow. We're constantly asked by potential tenants about rail, which has made it very clear it is something we need to take us to the next level.”
As the second largest port in Cameron County, the Port handles an overall cargo tonnage of about two million tons annually.
For more information about the port contact: Miguel Pereira director of business development.
About the Port of Harlingen
The Port of Harlingen was created in 1927 as a vision to bring in waterborne commerce to evolve the Rio Grande Valley into a major player in economic growth. The port has grown into an important hub to the South Texas region and internationally. Organized as a navigation district, officially known then as the Arroyo Colorado Navigation District of Cameron and Willacy counties, the port was created under the Texas Constitution, Water Code Chapter 62, Section 59. Although established in name and concept, the port was not operational until 1952. Years of strategic planning, effort, and river construction and maintenance created the thriving port it is today.
As it stood in the 1920s, the Arroyo Colorado, an offshoot of the Rio Grande River, was not a navigable waterway although it emptied into the lower Laguna Madre near the lower Texas Gulf of Mexico. However, city and county leaders determined that if it were made navigable, the area would benefit greatly from our water highway, connecting Harlingen to other major ports along the Gulf of Mexico in the United States.
Today the Port of Harlingen provides an efficient and economical transportation link along the Texas coast for shallow-draft transport, located near the southernmost tip of Texas on the Arroyo Colorado River. The port is 25 miles inland of the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway, which stretches from the Mexico border along the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico and northward along most of the U.S. eastern seaboard to Florida. The port is also connected to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, a 3,000-mile inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, running from Boston, Massachusetts, to the southern tip of Florida.
The Port of Harlingen encompasses more than 2,800 acres of land, with 650 linear feet of multi-cargo wharf and five docks. As the second-largest port in Cameron County, the port handles commodities transferred regionally, nationally, and internationally. Not only does the Port of Harlingen keep commodities moving, it also drives the Harlingen and Rio Grande Valley economy literally. Most of the fuel consumed in the valley comes in through the Port of Harlingen. In addition the liquid fertilizer distributed through the port is used in local fields. By utilizing the port, consumers receive goods at a much lower cost than transporting by truck to the area.
