HARLINGEN, TX – Construction began early this week on a $3.1 million Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Seaport Connectivity Program (SCP) project for roadway illumination and drainage enhancements.
Construction on 100 solar-powered roadway lighting infrastructure started Tuesday, Aug. 5, with crews drilling holes and pouring concrete foundations. Completion for this portion of the project is set for early September.
“More and more, we are experiencing round-the-clock operations,” Port Director Walker Smith said. “If you have ever been at the Port after sundown, it is pitch dark. Adding lighting is essential, not just for port traffic safety, but for the regular, non-commercial traffic the moves around the Port into and out of the surrounding communities. We are also using solar power, which will mean we will not use any extra electricity to power them.”
Work on the second portion of the project will begin next week, as crews start clearing a portion of brush off the Northern Loop of Port Road to enhance drainage for Port Roads and the surrounding area.
“Much of the surrounding fields drain through our drainage system” Smith said. “Clearing the brush and creating better drainage will not only help protect and maintain the millions invested in our own roadways but also the surrounding areas improving the storm run-off and mitigate potential flooding and erosion.”
The Port was awarded funding through the program in 2023. Formally the Rider Grant Program, SCP is part of the State of Texas’ 88th legislature’s historic port funding that created two programs funded by the state through the General Appropriations Act. SCP was set for public roadway projects to improve connectivity to Texas Ports. Funding was also available through the Maritime Infrastructure Program (MIP), for maritime port capital improvement projects. The investment in infrastructure and seaport connectivity will help increase the economic impact of Texas ports by supporting more than $240 million in projects statewide. The SCP grant is a cost matching grant with the Port of Harlingen investing a 25 percent match of the project cost.
The total project is set to be completed in February 2026.
For more information, contact Amy Lynch, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, at amy@portofharlingen.com or (956) 423-0283.
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