MISSION — The excitement was unmistakable as local and state officials celebrated the next phase of the trade industry in the Rio Grande Valley.
Construction on cargo facilities for the Anzalduas International Bridge is finally set to begin, converting the bridge into a full-service commercial cargo port of entry which will enable increased trade between the U.S. and Mexico.
Officials marked the beginning of construction on the bridge expansion project with a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning.
The Anzalduas bridge — owned and operated by the city of McAllen in partnership with the cities of Hidalgo and Mission — opened in 2010 just for pedestrian and passenger vehicle traffic. In 2016, the bridge began allowing southbound empty truck traffic.
But now, once construction is completed in early 2024, the bridge will become a full-service cargo port of entry which will give commercial trucks another way to travel between the two countries, alleviating congestion.
Though there are five international bridges in Hidalgo County, only the Pharr International Bridge currently allows cargo to pass through.
“Pharr needs some help right now, there’s so much traffic right now,” said McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos. “This will alleviate some of the congestion. It will speed up the passing, it will alleviate some of the cost of fuel because they’ll be able to pass instead of waiting.”
Allowing more traffic through will, hopefully, vastly increase trade between the U.S. and Mexico, an industry that Hidalgo Mayor Sergio Coronado said plays a vital role in the local economy as well as the overall U.S. economy.
“Over 2.4 billion worth of goods and services cross the Mexico-U.S-Canada borders every single day,” Coronado said. “Most importantly, the total international trade for Texas is over $1 billion on a daily basis. Those facts show the dimension of the free trade agreement. We should take advantage of it and expand our potential to benefit our region.”
He added the project is expected to attract more industry, business and, as a result, more jobs.
“With our vision and the partnership among the different cities, I anticipate that by 2050, we will have one of the best and biggest economies in Texas,” Coronado said.
The expanded port of entry will include cargo bays for the inspection of trucks, if necessary, offices and new facilities where federal agents will be housed, according to McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez.
Eventually, they also hope their Mexican counterparts will also be able to conduct inspections on the U.S. side.
“We will have the capacity, the capability, to do inspections for both countries right here,” Rodriguez said.
The project will also include construction of roads, drainage, office space and the facilities necessary for the port to facilitate the passage of commercial traffic.
The $83 million project will be funded through a variety of sources — the city received a $22 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation they received through the Metropolitan Planning Organization and a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The remaining balance will be covered by a loan which they received from the North American Development Bank, or NADBank.
“We were willing to take up and we actually approved a maximum loan of $63 million and so whatever we can’t cover with grants — which is substantial, it’s almost $40 million — we will borrow from NADBank,” Rodriguez said.
The city will pay off the loan with revenue from the bridge.
When the bridge was built 12 years ago, it was built with the intention of facilitating commercial traffic, Rodriguez said. But saying they’re going to do something and actually doing it are two very different things, he noted.
“It’s a lot of work. Obviously, it takes a lot of money, a lot of energy; you’re dealing with local, state and federal agencies and, in addition to that, dealing with another country,” Rodriguez said. “Somedays, I wasn’t sure this day was going to come but in McAllen, we never quit.”
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Construction begins on Anzalduas bridge cargo facilities
