Even as federal officials are figuring out how to comply with North American Free Trade Agreement provisions allowing Mexican trucks in the U.S., a Texas study shows the state is not getting the funding it needs for improving border infrastructure.

A study released yesterday by the Texas Public Policy Foundation shows Texas has received a disproportionately small amount of federal funding for border infrastructure needs. In relation to traffic volume, Texas has received 1/34th what New Mexico has received for border infrastructure improvements. Texas has spent much more of its own money on border infrastructure than other states.
The study points to under-staffing by federal agencies on border crossings, lack of automation, redundant inspection practices and poor cooperation with border authorities in Mexico.
Approximately 80 percent of truck and rail traffic between the United States and Mexico travels through Texas ports of entry, according to the study. NAFTA has brought at least a 50 percent increase in truck traffic along the Texas border and a doubling of rail traffic. Nearly 80 percent of all U.S.- Mexico trucks crossed the border at Texas Ports of Entry.
Yet Texas received only 26 percent of the federal Coordinated Border Infrastructure funding.
The study, entitled "The Road Ahead: Innovations for Better Transportation in Texas," is available at the