WESLACO, Texas — For years, severe rainstorms in the Mid-Valley have created a dangerous bottleneck along Interstate 2/Expressway 83: motorists attempting to escape high water find themselves trapped on the main lanes because the frontage roads below are completely submerged.
According to state Rep. Armando "Mando" Martinez, D-Weslaco, that long-standing safety hazard may finally be getting resolved.
Speaking in a recent interview, Martinez said persistent pressure on the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) appears to be bearing fruit, with state highway officials moving toward redesigning problem stretches of the frontage roads.
"That has been something that has been plaguing us for years," Martinez said. "Yes, we wanted an expressway, we wanted three lanes, but for whatever reason, the design is not working. You can't have your emergency vehicles get on and off the expressway when you have an expressway that is our main evacuation corridor, especially in disasters or hurricanes."
Martinez, who serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, brought state lawmakers to Weslaco for a landmark field hearing to examine water supply and regional drainage challenges firsthand. During that hearing, Martinez pressed TxDOT officials directly on why the frontage roads continue to flood during heavy rain events, stranding drivers and blocking first responders.
"When you hear that 'we’re getting to that,' we’re saying: enough with the studies, get the job done," Martinez recalled telling agency representatives. "It’s not about, 'Well, we're not in the drainage business, we're in the road business.' Yeah, we understand you're in the road business, but it's about safety and making sure people can get on and off that expressway safely."
Martinez expressed optimism that leadership changes at the agency, including Texas Transportation Commissioner Alex Meade, are helping shift TxDOT's approach toward collaborative problem-solving.
"Now with Commissioner Alex Meade and then a lot of the new leaders that are there at TxDOT, we are finally maybe making some headway in addressing these issues," Martinez said, confirming that the agency is moving toward solutions to make frontage roads passable during heavy downpours.
The lawmaker emphasized that local entities—including Hidalgo County, area cities, and school districts—have already invested heavily in regional drainage infrastructure, constructing retention and detention ponds to slow down runoff.
"The county has spent a lot of money. They do have skin in the game," Martinez noted, adding that it is now up to TxDOT to finalize "that last piece of the puzzle."
Drawing on his background as a firefighter and paramedic, Martinez urged state and local officials to adopt forward-thinking strategies to prevent drivers from getting stranded on flooded roadways in the first place. Among his proposals is the installation of water-level sensors along critical frontage road segments.
"Why don't we have gauges set on our frontage roads so we can see the flow of water [and] the rise of water within that time?" Martinez asked. He explained that real-time monitoring would allow city leaders and emergency personnel to proactively close roadways and reroute traffic before vehicles become submerged.
In addition to drainage relief, Martinez highlighted the dual challenge facing the region: managing floodwaters while navigating severe drought conditions.
He reiterated his support for regional water reclamation projects aimed at capturing stormwater and urban runoff before it drains into the Laguna Madre. During the last legislative session, lawmakers secured $15 million for reclamation efforts championed by Hidalgo County Precinct 1 Commissioner David Fuentes.
"I always talk about water as twofold," Martinez said. "Yes, we do want to get rid of the water, but all that water runs off into the Laguna Madre... Being able to recapture and reuse that water [will allow us to] use it for farming and potable use in the future."
As rapid growth continues across the Rio Grande Valley, Martinez noted that increased development has replaced open agricultural fields with concrete, accelerating runoff and putting added pressure on aging infrastructure.
Addressing these challenges, he said, remains a top priority heading into the next legislative session.
"Nobody wants anybody to flood. Nobody wants them to be flooded out of their homes," Martinez said. "We are working hard at addressing those issues... to make sure we get our state agencies ahead of the line so that we can address that as well."
