We must come together in a unified fashion, Hidalgo County RMA chairman tells RGV MPO

WESLACO, Texas - Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority Chairman Robert L. Lozano has made a plea for unity when it comes to transportation projects across the region.Lozano made his comments at a special meeting of the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization policy board. He is a board member of the MPO.HCRMA did not get its proposal for more funding for Segment 4 of the Hidalgo County Loop project passed yet Lozano, in n effort to show unity, still voted for the staff recommendation of RGVMPO.“My message is the same one that I started with many months ago, it's a message of unity,” Lozano said.The special meeting of the RGVMPO policy board was called because the group is facing a hard deadline. If it does not spend the money it has accrued soon it runs the risk of losing future funding from the Texas Department of Transportation. The MPO has carried over $102 million in what is known as Category 7 funds. Year after year the MPO carries over the funds because many of the projects on its to do list are not shovel ready. In his remarks, Lozano pointed out that HCRMA does not normally seek Category 7 funding from the MPO. He said they made a pitch for funding for a particular segment of the County Loop because the MPO found itself in a “use it or lose it” situation.  “If the (RGVMPO) TAC (Technical Advisory Committee has a project and they know, they understand, that there's a unified desire to move this project forward, then I think that should influence the recommendation that the TAC is giving to the policy board, because they understand that in that community, in that area, that is what is being requested. That's what the need is. And the need is bubbling up in a unified fashion,” Lozano said.Lozano then answered his own question. Why did the RMA bring forward its proposal for Category 7 funding.“First, use it or lose it. Second, it's my understanding that the RMA historically has not requested Category 7 funds. However, all of y'all were witness to… the strong desire to accelerate Section A, 1 and 2,” Lozano said. Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian website. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.