Ivory Tower

     Today we offer a humble dedication to Brownsville city leaders: “Finish What Ya Started,” by Van Halen.

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     After a few years of no Independence Day celebrations whatsoever, it’s probably safe to say once again that the fireworks display at the end of the day on July 4 has become a welcome tradition.

     Another tradition is the massive traffic jam that occurs at the end of the display, which is held at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College’s International Technology, Education and Commerce Campus (whew!). Seems the fireworks end right about the time that the Union Pacific train crosses over from Mexico and goes through the Customs inspection at the B&M Bridge.

     Brownsville veterans are all too familiar with the routine. The train crosses far enough for the engines to block Palm Boulevard. Then it stops, and then goes into a lengthy dance, going back and forth for about 15 minutes as the boxcars are switched and checked. Fifteen minutes might not seem like a lot of time, unless you’re one of the cars stranded on one side of the tracks or the other, usually right next to a car that’s booming out that one type of music that just makes your hair stand on end.

     There’s a law in Texas that prohibits trains from blocking streets for more than 10 minutes, and our local officers often dutifully hand out citations to Union Pacific. It’s not the company’s fault, though, that the old shopping complex that is now ITECC is so close to the bridge, where the train has to stop.

     Cameron County officials have dreamed up an ambitious solution to the problem. They plan to reroute the entire railway out to the west of the city’s current boundaries, a project that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. In fact, we’re betting the “m” becomes a “b” before they’re finished.

     It will also take decades to realize, if it ever does become a reality at all.

     We got to thinking the other day about that $750,000 the city borrowed, with voters’ blessing, to build overpasses that would alleviate train blockages. Instead of using the money for the purpose it was intended, the city went and gave it away to the county to show support for the rail relocation plan.

     Since it’s going to take so much time to bring that plan to fruition — if it’s done at all — we figure the city should have used the money to create those overpasses right there by the ITECC. Brownsville drivers could get quite a few years of use out of those babies before the rails are ever moved out of the way.

     Does anyone think the county might be willing to give the money back to the city whose residents probably wouldn’t have approved the bond measure if they’d known the money would just be given away?

     Does anyone think the county still has the money, for that matter?