12 Bridges, 6 Airports, 4 Ports: A Valley Broker Makes the Case for South Texas
The Rio Grande Valley has 12 international roadway crossings, six principal airports, four navigation ports and harbors, an international freight rail bridge and a commercial space launch site. None of it is new. What is new is someone putting it all on one page and asking what it means for the land around it.
That someone is Mark Hanna, CCIM, managing director of SVN | Hanna Solutions Commercial Real Estate. On Nov. 1, 2026, Hanna published "Why I'm Betting on South Texas," the first edition of a recurring series he calls South Texas Market Intelligence. It comes with a five-page transportation infrastructure report covering Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties.
Editor's note: This is a summary of an opinion and market-perspective piece written by a commercial real estate broker. Hanna's views are his own. His firm sells and leases commercial property in the region, and readers should weigh his outlook with that in mind. The 956 Report has independently checked the infrastructure figures below.
THE ARGUMENT IN BRIEF
Hanna's thesis is simple. Trucks crossing into the United States do not stop at the bridge. Their loads get inspected, refrigerated, stored, repackaged and redistributed. Every one of those steps needs a building. Customs brokers, trucking firms, cold storage operators and distribution centers all need real estate.
He names the Pharr International Bridge as the region's main commercial freight gateway, especially for agricultural products. He notes that the Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios and the Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates in Brownsville also carry commercial freight. He tells investors to watch the commercial build-out at the Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission.
He also widens the lens past the bridges. The Port of Brownsville supports deepwater maritime trade and industry. The Port of Harlingen, the Port Isabel/San Benito Navigation District and Port Mansfield serve other roles. McAllen International, Valley International in Harlingen and Brownsville/South Padre Island International carry commercial airline service. South Texas International at Edinburg, Mid-Valley in Weslaco and Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport serve general and business aviation. SpaceX Starbase adds aerospace manufacturing and launch activity in Cameron County.
THE CAUTION INSIDE THE PITCH
The most useful part of the piece is not the optimism. It is the warning.
Hanna writes that being near a bridge does not make a property a good industrial investment. He lists the questions that decide whether a site actually works: highway access, water and sewer availability, drainage, safe truck entry and exit, site development cost and real tenant demand. He says he has seen properties that look good on paper and fall apart once development costs come in.
He also lists what the region still needs: transportation investment, education, workforce development, water and wastewater systems, drainage and housing.
His closing line of argument is that the Valley does not need to become "the next Austin or San Antonio." He believes the region can build something of its own.
WHY IT MATTERS
Most coverage of RGV trade stops at the bridge counts and the dollar totals. Hanna's piece pushes the conversation one step further, onto the land that has to absorb the growth. That is where the region's harder questions live: who pays for the water lines, the drainage and the roads that make an industrial site work, and who carries the costs when those systems fall short.
Read Hanna's full piece and download Edition 01 of South Texas Market Intelligence at:
Mark Hanna, CCIM SVN | Hanna Solutions Commercial Real Estate Office: (956) 322-4001 Mark.Hanna@svn.com
SOURCES
Mark Hanna, CCIM, "Why I'm Betting on South Texas," SVN | Hanna Solutions Commercial Real Estate, Nov. 1, 2026
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Anzalduas Port of Entry construction release, March 9, 2023
RGV Business Journal, Anzalduas northbound cargo report, May 22, 2026
FreightWaves, Anzalduas and Pharr-Reynosa bridge reporting
U.S. Department of Commerce, West Rail Bypass International Bridge inauguration release, Aug. 25, 2015
Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority, West Rail project page and service area listing
The Monitor (MyRGV), Oct. 20, 2021, Hidalgo County bridge count quote from McAllen City Manager Roel "Roy" Rodriguez
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