Sam Vale speaks at Starr County Industrial Foundation 50th Anniversary celebrations

Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas - Sam Vale, chairman of the Starr Camargo Bridge Company, has given an update on plans to expand the Starr-Camargo Bridge in Rio Grande City.

Vale said his partner on the project will be Eduardo A. Garza Robles, owner of Nuevo Laredo-based Uni-Trade Group.

“We've been we've been friends for several years and we've decided that we're going to do a joint venture on the expansion,” Vale said. “We are going to be moving forward at a very brisk pace. We have already got contracts, things that we're going to be doing, so we will be spending it on an additional parts of the port of entry,”

Vale made his comments during a speech at Starr County Industrial Foundation’s recent 50th Anniversary celebrations. He invited Garza Robles to the stage to say a few words also.

“We're getting the state-of-the-art electronic equipment that can examine a truck in three minutes, and if it didn’t pass the three minute test, it has to physically be examined.”

Vale, chairman of the board for the Starr Camargo Bridge Company, said his bridge will be one of the first in the nation to have electronic inspections for southbound traffic. He said this will help catch the illegal entry into Mexico of cash and weapons.

Vale took a trip down memory lane at his speech at the SCIF 50th Anniversary celebrations. He paid tribute to the founders of the organization, pointing out that there were a lot of people in the audience that were part of some very important SCIF activities.

He also spoke about the building of the Starr-Camargo Bridge. “I was working with (now South Texas College President) Ricardo Solis and (future US Ambassador to Mexico) Tony Garza from Cameron County. We built that bridge in three years from start to finish.”

Editor’s Note: Here is an audio recording of the remarks Vale and Garza Robles made at the SCIF 50th Anniversary celebrations. Vale is introduced by Rose Benavidez, president and CEO of SCIF:

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