Corridor will move forward

Those at the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance are saying the La Entrada al Pacifico trade corridor will not be derailed, despite an agreement between New Mexico and the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

A "Memo of Understanding," signed last week between New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Chihuahua Gov. José Reyes Baeza, calls for a rail crossing to be built between the states, near Santa Teresa, N.M. It also said the states would work together to obtain various permits, including one from the U.S. federal government.

Proponents say the agreement would alleviate rail congestion in the El Paso-Juarez area. But James Beauchamp, MOTRAN executive director, said a reliever route for El Paso rail traffic was already taken into consideration in La Entrada's feasibility study.

"More than likely, it will just deal with existing crowding," he said.

Beauchamp said that, while La Entrada has hopes of revitalizing the South Orient Railroad that crosses between Presidio and Ojinaga, it's main goal is truck traffic.

"From a rail perspective, we can't compete there anyway," he said.

But to some in the Big Bend area, word of the agreement was still welcome.

In a widely circulated e-mail, Alpine attorney Rod Ponton said the deal between the governors meant La Entrada was dead.

"Deal making at high levels has trumped the efforts of Midland to turn the Big Bend route into a major trade corridor," he wrote. "Bill Richardson has demonstrated that he is a savvy political operator."

When reached last week, Ponton was more reserved, but he still said the deal wasn't a good sign for La Entrada.

"If Mexico doesn't have great plans to bring trucks here, you're not going to have great traffic on it," he said.

Alpine resident Pete Smyke said the traffic through Ojinaga doesn't justify a trade route.

"It makes a lot more sense geographically to send it straight north from Chihuahua City," he said.

But Brian Swindell, senior project manager/engineer with HDR Engineering of Dallas, said the deal between Chihuahua and New Mexico wouldn't affect the feasibility study his group is working on. The study has determined that existing roads in Texas would be sufficient to handle growth along La Entrada until 2030.

He said the study always showed excess traffic from El Paso more likely to go through Santa Teresa and points west.

"Had they made an agreement with Presidio, maybe we would've had to relook at our study," Swindell said.

The remainder of the study is expected to be completed by year's end, Swindell said. It's expected to deal with recommending safety modifications like passing lanes and reliever routes around cities like Alpine, Marfa, McCamey and Crane.

But, he added, the projections aren't set in stone.

"It's kind of like forecasting the weather," Swindell said. "There's a lot of variables you have to deal with."