Del Rio and Acuña to host 2026 Ports to Plains conference

Del Rio and Acuña will share hosting duties for the 2026 Ports-to-Plains Alliance Annual Conference, a binational meeting set for Sept. 8-10. The Ports-to-Plains Alliance expects the gathering to draw more than 300 participants from North America. The gathering will put Val Verde County’s border crossing at the center of discussions on future Interstate funding, I-27 implementation, corridor development and North American trade connectivity.

The City of Del Rio owns and operates its International Bridge, which carries vehicular, commercial and pedestrian traffic, making congestion, inspection flow and freight movement everyday issues for residents and businesses on both sides of the Rio Grande. The proposed Acuña-Del Rio II Connector, backed previously by a Del Rio City Council resolution supporting federal highway funding requests, would move more cross-border freight while reducing pressure on the existing downtown crossing.

Congress designated the Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor as a High Priority Corridor in 1998. The Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor runs from Mexico through West Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado before reaching Canada and the Pacific Northwest. It links three major international gateways in Texas: Laredo, Eagle Pass and Del Rio.

On March 17, 2026, Acuña Mayor Emilio De Hoyos Montemayor met with Ports-to-Plains Alliance president and CEO Lauren Garduño to discuss Acuña’s role in North American logistics. The Texas and New Mexico portions of the corridor were formally designated as a Future Interstate in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Sessions are planned on funding, interstate planning and freight mobility.