Cameron County has received a presidential permit to build and operate a $10 million international pedestrian bridge between the city of Brownsville, Texas, and Mexico.
With the permit granted, Cameron County, in partnership with Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA), will advance the project into the design phase. The permit will expire if the county does not begin construction within five years.
The county plans to build the Gateway Pedestrian International Bridge as part of an ongoing effort to improve pedestrian mobility, protecting 12,000 who cross the current multimodal bridge every day while alleviating traffic congestion. The two-lane bridge will be located upstream of the existing bridge and will include a CBP inspection station on the United States’ side.
The pedestrian bridge is the latest international project connecting Texas to its neighboring nation of Mexico, with several Port of Entry projects and potentially more on the way. The presidential permitting process enables accelerated approval for international crossings.
The border region surrounding Cameron County has been a hot spot for new trade and transportation connections with Mexico. Previously, a permit was issued enabling the county to begin building the $25 million Flor de Mayo Bridge, with plans to open it by 2029. An additional presidential permit gave the same authorization for a bridge between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico. A final presidential green stamp was provided to build a futuristic international freight corridor bridge connecting Laredo to Nuevo León, Mexico.
Photo by Jon Worth from Germany, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, from Wikimedia Commons