Mexican governor touts commerce opportunities with South Texas bridge expansion

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been changed to include that funding from NADBank for the project is a loan.)

MISSION, Texas (Border Report) — The governor of the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi came to the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday to support the expansion of an international bridge for truck traffic that he says his state needs to connect with South Texas.

San Luis Potosi Gov. Ricardo Gallardo Cardenas says his state is one of Mexico’s biggest producers of auto parts and once the expansion of the Anzalduas International Bridge is complete, he hopes to be able to send many trucks full of auto parts to the United States through this bridge that connects Mission, Texas, to Reynosa, Mexico.

“It’s a grand project they are building,” Gallardo told media in Spanish on Wednesday after meeting privately with Mexican and local leaders to get a status update on construction.

“San Luis Potosi is proud to be here and to show our support,” he said.

San Luis Potosi Gov. Ricardo Gallardo Cardenas, center, and his wife, are flanked July 30, 2024, by mayors and leaders of the Rio Grande Valley as he visited Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission, Texas. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report)

Once operational, fully-loaded commercial trucks will finally be able to cross this bridge both ways, officials said.

The project is costing over $85 million and should be completed next summer, McAllen Bridge Superintendent Juan Olaguibel told Border Report.

“It’s very innovative equipment. I don’t think it’s being used in any other part of the country. It’s being built for Anzalduas itself. And the intention is for it to be a very efficient bridge and be very effective,” Olaguibel said.

Some of the technology and equipment that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is installing include non-invasive screening machines that can actually see through floorboards of vehicles, as well as ensure that whatever is in the cargo hold matches that of the manifest, Olaguibel said.

The Anzalduas International Bridge, in Mission, Texas, is being expanded to accept fully loaded cargo trucks crossing both directions to and from Reynosa, Mexico (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report)

Once the infrastructure and security equipment are installed he said the total project will be valued at over $100 million.

Funding includes a $22 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation and a $63 million loan from NADBank, he said.

He says officials have been trying to get this four-lane bridge fully-truck operational since it opened a decade ago.

Originally the project was to be completed in February 2025, but he said they are waiting on custom booths and the security equipment.

“We’re looking forward to it and that’s one of the reasons the governor of San Luis Potosi came. They wanted to see the project and be able to say, ‘Wow we have an automotive cluster that can benefit from another crossing,'” Olaguibel said.

Gallardo said his state is investing to build a four-lane highway that will connect to the bridge.

That will allow truckers the option of crossing from northern Mexico into Mission, rather than the busy World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas.

Mission Economic Development Corp. CEO Teclo Garcia told Border Report that his staff and other representatives from the Rio Grande Valley have visited San Luis Potosi twice in the past two years to tout the Anzalduas International Bridge.

“Just to try to promote the bridge. That was our No. 1 goal: to promote the bridge in San Luis,” Garcia said.

Garcia said 90% of the state’s auto parts are exported to the United States via trucks. And up until now they have almost exclusively crossed at the World Trade Bridge, which is the No. 1 inland port on the Southwest border.

“There has to be more capacity and this bridge can provide that. They can hang a right in Monterrey, (Mexico) when they come from San Luis and come through here. And with the automation and technology this bridge will have, once its open, it will be a little bit easier shot for them,” Garcia said.

“I’m very glad that we have our Gov. Gallardo today because I think he has the same beliefs that we do: what’s important is commerce and trade,” McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos said.

The nearby Pharr International Bridge, about 20 miles east, also this week announced expansion plans that should also help bring more commercial vehicles to the region.

The governor on Wednesday brought with him his secretary of government and secretary of economic development and he says he believes this bridge will greatly boost commerce for both countries.

“The Anzalduas Bridge is more than just a structure. It is a vital link that connects our two regions facilitating trade, travel and cultural exchange,” Mission Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza said.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.