The new Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) was recently brought together for the Rio Grande Valley. The organization is already facing pressure from the public to be the association that will put this plan into motion bringing a second causeway to South Padre Island. With the projected growth and expansion of South Padre Island, this project needs to be set in motion sooner rather than later.
The plan with MPO for Hidalgo County, Harlingen-San Benito, and Brownsville area has begun to pave the way for surrounding areas to gather the money necessary to bring these future projects to life. The desire for an additional Pharr Interchange or the McAllen Bicentennial issue is not in the near future. The hope for future planning is growing more and more each day, the need for it take place is approaching.
The main selling point of this entire project getting approved is to essentially build a secondary causeway. Anyone can attest to the annoyance that comes with vacationing in South Padre Island during the summer with not only the exhausting weather but the difficulty it imposes getting to point A and B anywhere on the island. This type of issue is effecting the high traffic of tourism that goes through South Padre Island. The fear of South Padre Island becoming too touristy at this point is irrelevant, the demand for this second causeway is not only a want but a need.
All of the steps needed to put this plan in motion are completed, the only step lacking is moving forward and being fully funded. This approach will hopefully bring in the money necessary to get their foot off the ground. The help of the MPO is not only needed but detrimental to the success of the causeway.
The goal in mind is for you and your family to one day be able to take a trip down to the island and not have to worry about traffic. The congestion of traffic caused by not having alternative routes must come to an end, to not only decrease traffic but to increase tourism. The fate of this project lies in the hands of the leaders of the Rio Grande Valley, all we can do now is wait for improvement.
