CCRMA Updates On Harlingen Rail Improvements Project

Courtesy of CCRMA

HARLINGEN, Texas - Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA) Executive Director Pete Sepulveda spoke about the Harlingen Rail Improvements Project during a South Texas Manufacturer's Association meeting.

According to the CCRMA, it has been working with UP, Cameron County, and the City of Harlingen to “install a new track connection to align the UPRR Harlingen Subdivision track at Jefferson Street directly across Commerce Street to connect to the UPRR Brownsville Subdivision.” It would relocate 1.7 miles of the Harlingen Subdivision and remove seven at-grade crossings.

In a report from Rio Grande Guardian, Executive Director Sepulveda said at the meeting, “Twenty years ago, Cameron County did an agreement with Union Pacific to do grow relocation projects in Cameron County. . . This was the very first project, 2012 or 2013 more or less, $20 million project, small project, but we took the Union Pacific switch yard away from downtown Harlingen, which opened up downtown, because it used to be that the two streets going into town and going out of town would get blocked four or five times a day for 45 minutes to over an hour. . . So, by relocating the switch yard, we eliminated that problem.”

Sepulveda continued, “We’re working on the last project in downtown Harlingen by Commerce Street. . . We’re realigning the rail there to make it a lot safer for the operation of Union Pacific.” The CCRMA recently stated that the environmental and preliminary engineering phases are currently underway.

As for funding, the project has received an FRA grant, but Sepulveda points out that there is still a $7 million deficit due to price escalations. He stated the CCRMA is working with UP to “see how to value engineer the project and try and come within budget. . . And then work with FHA to see if there’s any additional federal funds that we can tap into. But it’s a good quality of life project for the City of Harlingen.”