The City of Mission comes into a new year with expectations of having commercial trucks crossing a nearby international bridge by the end of 2024.

The Anzalduas International Bridge is located just south of Mission. It is going through a revamping as the necessary facilities are constructed that will allow for the inspection and processing of commercial truck traffic. When completed in the fourth quarter of 2024, the city’s economic analysts say up to 2,000 trucks a day will cross Anzalduas daily.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Teclo Garcia, the chief executive officer of the Mission Economic Development Corporation. “This will be a first for Mission. That traffic is going to drive investment.”

Garcia came to Mission from Laredo where as an economic development specialist, he was heavily involved in international trade at the nation’s largest inland port crossing.

“Laredo is a monster,” Garcia said of the over $240 billion in imports and exports that go through the city yearly. “They’re saturated. Hopefully, we can pick up some of that traffic.”

Competing Regionally

Mission is angling to take a strategic approach in positioning itself among the international bridges in western Hidalgo County. 

The Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge has developed into a huge crossing point for produce and all types of agricultural products originating in Mexico and Latin America. Since 1996, all northbound trucks from Reynosa have crossed in Pharr as the bridge at Hidalgo has become more oriented to passenger traffic.

In that mix, Mission would like Anzalduas to be a mix of passenger and commercial traffic that connects to the western outskirts of Reynosa. Garcia anticipates the commercial truck traffic at Anzalduas leaning heavily toward the auto industry. 

“Parts, plastics, tires, anything to do with auto,” he said. “This is a great opportunity for all of our communities.”

The Anzalduas bridge is owned by the cities of Mission, Hidalgo and McAllen, with the latter responsible for the daily operations. Garcia sees the upgrade at Anzalduas as one piece of a much larger picture forming in the competition for international trade. Tesla is establishing large manufacturing facilities in Austin and Monterrey, and improvements to bridges in the Rio Grande Valley fortifies the region to better compete in a global arena.

“This is a great regional opportunity,” he said. “You look at regions and how we can compete in Texas and Mexico against China and Brazil.”

Adding Diversity & Opportunity

Garcia’s focus in his first year as the EDC’s chief executive has also focused on revitalizing the organization’s Center for Education and Economic Development and bolstering small business development in Mission.

The CEED is a 55,000-square-foot facility that houses the EDC’s administrative office as well as a variety of tenants connected to job growth and education. The energy and volume of activities in the facility had waned in recent years. In 2023, Garcia and his staff added quality tenants to mainstays like the 5X5 Brewing Company and the Jitterz Coffee Bar. 

New tenants at the CEED include RGV Healthy Vending and Brand Geniuz. There are now also educational and economic development operations like the satellite offices of UTRGV, Wayland Baptist University and most recently the Valley Grande Institute, which is focused on nurse training and health career careers. South Texas College also plans in 2024 to establish a wing of its apprenticeship program at the CEED.

“The new tenants have added diversity and new opportunities for the people of Mission,” Garcia said.

The Mission EDC has also relaunched its Ruby Red Ventures program. The initiative provides up to $15,000 per local small business for facility improvements, working capital and expansions. Garcia said the EDC may add a pitch component to the program in which applicants make presentations for their startup businesses before a panel of judges.