By TONY VINDELL
Special to the NEWS
The greater San Benito area is celebrating two projects that are sure to forever reshape the area’s landscape.
Another road project gets underway now on the east side of the San Benito/Harlingen area.
“Welcome to the weekly ground breaking event,” Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. said before announcing another such project this month, “I am getting used to this.”
He was referring to a mile stretch of San Jose Ranch Road from Williams Road to Paso Real. Once completed, the road extension will make it easier for drivers traveling from central Cameron County to South Padre Island and other communities in the near future.
San Benito Mayor Rick Guerra said the road extension is the result of a cooperative effort between his city, Harlingen and the county.
David Garza, commissioner for county Precinct 3, said the road will benefit people living on the east side of two cities even though there will be some inconveniences during the construction phase.
“However,” he said, “the benefits will outnumber the adverse sides.” Garza said a couple of homes along the way were impacted. But sooner than later, new homes and subdivisions will be constructed after the project is completed.
Garza said the road extension project has been in the works for some 20 years and it’s finally becoming a reality. Funding for the $2 million plus road extension came from the county.
Trevino thanked the crowd for attending the ceremony, adding the many years they have been working on the project has finally paid off. “This is about connectivity,” he said, “It’s about connecting traffic, communities and economic development.”
The contractor is Texas Cordia Construction of Edinburg.
SOUTH PARALLEL CORRIDOR
As per the other project, commercial traffic along I-69 between Harlingen and San Benito is soon to be rerouted to an alternate road to ease congestion.
Called South Parallel Corridor, the nearly three-mile long highway stretch is an extension of South Dixieland Road which will connect to FM 509, also known as El Paso Real, and to FM 2520, or West Sam Houston Road.
A ground breaking was held on Friday, March 11, to mark the start of the project expected to cost a little more than $12.7 million. Funding for the project came from federal, state and local funding.
Officials from both cities, Cameron County and business representatives, including SpaceX, were present at the event held at FM 509 and Dixieland Road.
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