PHARR, TX The Texas Department of Transportation announces that Pedro "Pete" Alvarez will serve as the new Pharr District Engineer. In his new role, Alvarez will oversee the planning, designing, building, operation and maintenance of the state transportation system for the eight-county Pharr District (Zapata, Jim Hogg, Brooks, Kenedy, Willacy, Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr.

A 22-year TxDOT veteran, Alvarez officially began his career with the department in 1995.  He was a conditional grant recipient and worked as a summer employee in 1993 and 1994.  Alvarez joined the department in 1995 as an engineering assistant at the Pharr District Design Section. In 1997, he moved to the District Laboratory and then to the Pharr Area Office later that year. During his two decades of service in the Pharr District, he also served as the Design and Construction Engineer, Assistant Area Engineer, Director of Maintenance, and Deputy District Engineer. In August 2015, Alvarez was appointed District Engineer for the Laredo District where he has been responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the eight-county district for the past two years. In making this transition back to the Pharr District, Alvarez is literally going home.

He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in December 1994 and received his Professional Engineer's license in July 1999. He enjoys sports and outdoor activities including hunting, fishing and camping. He and his wife Mary have three children: Diego, Daniela, and Pablo.