IS BIKE AND HIKE CAUSEWAY EXPANSION D.O.A. AT TXDoT?

By Juan Montoya

On its face, the idea seemed a bit far fetched. 

Expand the width of the  the 2.4-mile-long Queen Isabella Causeway by about four feet to accommodate a 14-foot-wide, two-way pedestrian and bike pathway to South Padre Island.

That was one of the components of Connecting Communities plan that was awarded a $10 million under the U.S. Dept. of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant Program.

According to plan, construction on the causeway must begin by September 2019 and be complete by 2024. The Dept. of Transportation funds projects which "emphasize improved access to reliable, safe, and affordable transportation for communities in rural areas, such as projects that improve infrastructure condition, address public health and safety, promote regional connectivity, or facilitate economic growth or competitiveness."

This is where it starts to get a little sticky. Port Isabel and South Padre Island were included in the grant but did not sign on with Brownsville to apply for the $1 for $1 match to the $10 million grant. Brownsville committed $4.2 million and the other cities will be asked to pitch in $6.9 million to help pay for the work.

The other component involves improvements to Brownsville Metro’s operations and maintenance facility and he addition of a new eastside transfer facility to expand service – including service to colonias. Bicycle parking, according to a city public announcement, also will be added.

The city said METRO Connect will acquire eight new hybrid buses, and Brownsville Metro stops will be improved, including the construction of Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks, ADA-accessible ramps, shelters with benches, and bike stations. Brownsville Metro and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute are collaborating with the cities of McAllen, the city of Port Isabel, the city of South Padre Island, Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, Cameron County and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Just this past Tuesday, the city commission voted to issue $17.2 million in Certificates of Obligation to pay for the second phase of the grant. 

When then grant was announced, city commissioner and bike advocate Rose Gowen, hailed the expansion of the causeway as a way of adapting to a term called the "active" tourist. She asserts tha active tourists would rather bike or walk in a new city while on vacation. She said that the bridge will allow residents to have other modes of transportation.

“This ramp is hugely important because transportation whether it be by car, bus, bike or foot … and so forth is what opens people up to opportunities,” Gowen told the Guardian.

"We have a lot of poor people in our community and a lot of people with needs. So being able to move them around the city, around the region, around the county [and] between cities needs to be one of our major goals – not to mention the major health risk that we have and getting people out of their cars once in awhile to enjoy a walk, a jog or a bike ride is also hugely important.”

However, even as Brownsville is spending money on projects already and issuing COs, a formal agreement has not been reached with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. The city must invoice the department to get its matching federal funds.

Until such an agreement has been reached, no funds will be available to the city for the causeway expansion.

Transportation planners say that the biking enthusiasts like Gowen have not really thought the idea out and say that the project would cost a whole lot more than the $6 million they projected it would cost. At a recent Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting, some participants openly questioned the feasibility of the idea.

"It's going to take a whole lot of engineering to add the additional four feet to the existing causeway," said a state planner. "The causeway is getting old and TxDOT hasn't really signed on to the project. To tell you the truth, the people in Austin aren't crazy about the idea of putting additional weight on the old structure. It really wasn't designed for that."

MPO member and Port of Brownsville commissioner John Wood said that bike advocates might have better luck convincing state planners to include the pedestrian and bike component in the design of the second causeway already in the planning stage.

"I like the biking group," he said. "But I perceive that the state guys aren't crazy about expanding the existing causeway."

Others weren't as charitable with the city's performance.

"Your forgetting the most important part," wrote a commenter. "The city submitted the application without consulting with TxDOT about whether the causeway itself could withstand the load of being widened. It cannot, TxDOT has said no."
But now that the idea is getting a second look for its feasibility, will it come to be that the money has not been wisely spent or the idea thoroughly thought out?

With or without Port Isabel and South Padre Island, Brownsville is forging ahead with plans to widen the causeway. Under the CO issue approved by commissioners Tuesday, another $500,000 (10 percent of $5 million) is dedicated to hike and bike trails. So far, since 2012,  the city has dedicated more $2,007,133 to hike and bike projects when it issues transportation-related COs.

To some residents, the outlay of these millions in funds to address the desires of a small group and  subsidizing publicity for private businesses such as the 7th and Park bicycle and coffee shop smacks of giving away public funds to special interests.

The cafe was featured in publicity spots shown at the local Cinemark Theater paid by the city. That same business is also featured on the city's cable channel. Its owners are said to have a close relationship with Gowen, who held campaign events there during her run for reelection.

In fact, that same business uses parking for linear park visitors as its own. Under the city's bike plan planners are trying to link "bicycle friendly" businesses by designating bike and pedestrian lanes on city streets. Toward that end, they have bee encouraging like-minded businesses to apply for city funds.