The Intermodal ramp and logistics hub is the heart of the Union Pacific facility.
It allows truck and train containers to cross the border with ease. It also serves as a hub for containers traveling within the United States.
Union Pacific Spokesperson Ivan Jaime says the capacity to move 225,000 containers every year makes the site ideal for business.
“We believe that we have tremendous room to grow we have 22,000 acres at this facility and we think it is just going to be a major engine for economic development in this region for decades to come”
Jaime says the project is a year ahead of schedule. That might have caught area communities by surprise.
Santa Teresa isn’t prepared for the influx of industry. The few roads here for trucks coming in and out of the facility need major upgrades.
More than two million dollars in road funding was included in a capital outlay plan before the state legislature but it failed to pass.
New Mexico U.S. Senator Tom Udall says the state should support Santa Teresa but local municipalities and the federal government should help as well.
”Airport road is an old road with pot holes in it and it's been patched up, we need an up to date road that can handle significant truck traffic. What we are talking about is hundreds of trucks on a daily basis, that is what we are having to deal with, so we need the county, the city, the state of New Mexico, the federal government to all come to the table. How are we going to get this done?"
Udall says he’s working to secure a grant from the department of transportation.
It would help to cover the millions of dollars needed to improve area roads to accommodate Santa Teresa’s massive growth and new jobs.
The Union Pacific rail facility is expected to generate more than $500 million dollars for New Mexico.