Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday announced the creation of a Transportation and Trade Corridor Alliance, which will study border infrastructure, border-entry capacity and competitiveness in Arizona and its Mexican sister state of Sonora.
The governor, who spoke against the backdrop of a heavily militarized police force along the rocky shores of this beach town, touted recent improvements to port capacity. But she stressed that Arizona must continue to repair and improve outdated roads and ports of entry and minimize wait times at the border to aid trade and tourism.
Arizona's largest trade partner is Mexico, and visitors from the southern country spend an average of $7.3million every day in Arizona stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses, Brewer said. The alliance will work with state transportation and commerce officials to examine infrastructure needs, she said.
"This is a perfect occasion for the two states to assess strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of our corridor and port infrastructure -- with the ultimate goal of increasing economic competitiveness and job creation in our region," Brewer said.
Brewer's remarks capped a conference of the Arizona-Mexico Commission, a 53-year-old organization that aims to tackle shared issues such as commerce, transportation, border
security, health and the environment. This conference was supposed to occur last year, but neither governor could attend. And in 2010, Sonoran Gov. Guillermo Padres Elias canceled meetings in protest of Brewer's signing of Senate Bill 1070.
The conference came as the U.S. State Department updated its long-running travel warning on Mexico, cautioning Americans to stay on main roads and travel during the day. The warning upset local tourist officials and business owners who said the advisory will sabotage spring-break bookings that the resort town heavily depends on.
The two governors met privately Friday morning with transportation and tourism officials. Both vowed to create more jobs and increase trade and tourism.
"This relationship is very, very important for us," Padres said. "We represent an economic region which is important for jobs, development and growth. We have a very strong alliance, and a very strong relation with Arizona."
Throughout the conference, officials from both states focused on long-term issues, including:
The health of agricultural workers in Arizona and Mexico, and needs of Mexican deportees who need medical assistance.
Ad campaigns to promote tourism on both sides of the border.
Roads and ports along the border to increase transportation capacity for trucks, farmworkers and tourists.
