Matamoros says push to join Mexico’s multibillion-dollar trade corridor is gaining ground

REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Months after Matamoros business leaders began pushing to be included in Mexico’s Gulf North Corridor, they say state and federal officials are now looking for a way to connect the city to the multibillion-dollar highway project.

The development marks a shift from earlier this year, when Matamoros business organizations said they were still waiting for a formal response after warning that the planned corridor could leave the city and its emerging Gulf port outside a major new freight route.

“As of today, we have received responses from the Transportation Secretariat and from the governor of Tamaulipas, and they are indeed trying to find a solution and looking for a way to include it,” said Oscar Macario Farías García, president of CANACINTRA Matamoros, the National Chamber of the Manufacturing Industry.

The push comes as the Gulf North Corridor itself moves closer to construction.