20 Oct Cameron County Lands $9.18M Federal Grant for Los Indios Bridge Truck Parking

Cameron County has been awarded more than $9.18 million in federal money for a new truck parking facility by the Los Indios port of entry, according to a county release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the grant Oct. 14 through its Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) program, which is putting $200 million toward truck parking. The latest round covers 14 projects in 12 states. Los Indios and Fort Worth are the only two in Texas, with Fort Worth getting $5 million for about 100 new spaces at a Pilot Travel Center along I-35.

Plans call for about 305 truck parking spaces, along with driver amenities, added security, an automated weigh station and smart parking technology, the release says. The county will also rebuild roughly 0.35 miles of Rio Grande Avenue to reach the site.

The department says the program targets truckers’ parking problem. It says 40% of drivers spend more than an hour a day hunting for a spot, a drag on the economy worth billions in lost time, and that the lack of parking pushes some drivers to stop in unsafe places. More spaces, it says, should also cut down on fatigue-related crashes.

County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said the award strengthens the county’s standing as a regional hub for transportation and logistics, and he thanked the department and U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez for their support.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Gus Ruiz said the county’s ports of entry link international commerce to the national supply chain, and he called the facility “an important investment in transportation safety and the continued movement of goods throughout our country.”