Texas Border Business
After more than ten years of work, the City of McAllen and the Anzalduas International Bridge Board, together with federal and state elected officials, laid the groundwork to expand the bridge to a fully commercial bridge.
They will be using $83-million-dollar infrastructure project to construct the commercial inspection facilities at the Anzalduas Land Port of Entry, including inspection booths, inspection docks, equipment, roadway, parking and sidewalks. The project will make improvements to the southbound inspection facilities and construct northbound facilities.
The landmark event took place at the Anzalduas International Bridge, U.S. Customs & Border Protection Port of Entry in Mission, Texas on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.
“This is a very important project not only for McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley, but our entire nation. This project will provide immediate and direct enhancement to our supply chain, providing a much-needed corridor for goods to come into the country through McAllen,” said Mayor Javier Villalobos. “I want to thank U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for his approval in awarding the INFRA grant we received to support this project and for recognizing what a critical role this port of entry plays in the economy. I would also like to thank Senator John Cornyn and the Rio Grande Valley federal and state delegation for their support on this expansion project to help Anzalduas International Bridge become a full commercial bridge. Increased trade with our nation’s greatest trading partner will necessarily boost the region’s, the state’s and even the nation’s economy.”
$83 million project will construct the necessary infrastructure at the Anzalduas International Bridge Port of Entry to become a fully commercial international bridge in both directions
The project was made possible by a $25 million INFRA grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a $22 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation and a $63 million loan from the North American Development Bank to the City of McAllen.
Echoing Mayor Villalobos’ comments regarding the importance of the project is McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, P.E., who pointed out the 775-acre Foreign Trade Zone with its 150 maquiladoras located directly across from the Anzalduas land port in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. These manufacturing facilities produce cell phone parts, home appliances, medical equipment and many electronics, all critical components to manufacturing products in the United States.
” This project’s significance goes much beyond our region. It is a project that will impact the entire State of Texas and the United States.” said McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, P.E. “We applaud the efforts of Senator Cornyn, Secretary Buttigieg and the Rio Grande Valley Congressional Delegation and State Legislators for seeing the magnitude of this port of entry project and the impact it will have for our country. I also want to thank Mayor Villalobos and the McAllen City Commissioners for sticking with it. It takes a lot of courage to make these types of investments for projects that are so visionary. I am so proud to be on this team.”
A recent study completed by the Texas Department of Transportation showed that the Pharr-Reynosa Bridge, the only commercial bridge in the Port of Hidalgo region (Pharr, Hidalgo and Anzalduas), force the average 9,300 commercial trucks per week to experience wait times of nearly 100 minutes during peak traffic times, forcing trucks to endure long hours waiting in lines, which negatively impacts economic potential.
“As trade and its importance grows, so must bridge capacity, capability and infrastructure,” added Mayor Villalobos.
Mayor Villalobos went on to thank the Rio Grande Valley Congressional Delegation and State Legislators, including Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa and Chairman Terry Canales for being instrumental in the awarding of grants for the project. The Anzalduas International Bridge expansion project will improve safety, generate economic benefits, reduce congestion, enhance efficiency, eliminate freight bottlenecks, and improve critical freight movement.
The contractor for the Anzalduas International Bridge expansion project is D. Wilson Construction Company of McAllen and is expected to take approximately 320 days, or 11 months to complete. It will soon support fully commercial cargo traffic at the land port. Currently, the bridge only receives empty cargo trucks traveling southbound.
| Officials attending the ceremony: |
| McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos & McAllen City Commission |
| City of McAllen Administration |
| Anzalduas International Bridge Board |
| Mayor Sergio Coronado, City of Hidalgo |
| Mayor Norie Gonzalez-Garza, City of Mission |
| Mayor Yvette Cabrera, City of Granjeno |
| Ana Garcia, Constituent Representative, U.S. Senator John Cornyn |
| Chairman Terry Canales, D-40 |
| Representative Bobby Guerra, D-41 |
| Representative Sergio Muñoz, D-36 |
Pedro “Pete” Alvarez, P.E. TxDot District Engineer
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos
Mission Mayor Norie Gonzalez-Garza
Hidalgo Mayor Sergio Coronado
Roel Roy Rodriguez, P.E., M.P.A. McAllen City Manager
Chairman Terry Canales, D-40
Representative Sergio Muñoz, D-36
Representative Bobby Guerra, D-41
Ana Garcia Office of Senator John Cornyn
Juan Olaguibel Superintendent of Bridges
All Headshot Photos taken by Roberto H. Gonzalez
