MCALLEN, Texas - McAllen Bridge Board plans to build a second span covering just under half the length of Anzalduas International Bridge in order to separate northbound trucks from passenger vehicles.
Juan Olaguibel, superintendent of bridges for the City of McAllen, announced details of the plan at a McAllen Economic Development Corporation quarterly stakeholders meeting.
He said that currently 130,000 trucks cross the Anzalduas bridge and many more are expected once it is equipped to handle fully loaded trucks north- and sound-bound. He said that should happen later this year.
“One of the things that we are looking at is… basically we are aware that when we open up (to fully loaded trucks later this year), we will have trucks out there and they will be mixing with (passenger) vehicles at many times. So, we’ve already been proactive to get the Bridge Board to invest in design and study to do a parallel bridge.
“And it won't be a (parallel) bridge like the one you see in Pharr, that will get all the way to Mexico. Just as soon as you get to the middle of the bridge, soon after, the trucks will go to the right, and that way we don't mix with vehicular traffic.”
Olaguibel continued: “So that was just approved here this last Bridge Board meeting, where the engineering company has started the process, and that will be happening. We will be going up to the State (of Texas) to see how we get that funding, and that's just where we're at with that.
“We know there's a lot more trucks coming… right now, it's a four-lane bridge, two lanes going south and two lanes going north. And we're aware that we will be needing more.”
A stakeholder at the meeting asked how long the parallel bridge would be. Olaguibel responded: “Anzalduas is about one and half miles to the middle of the bridge. So, we’re looking at about maybe a mile, it depends on how much (money) we have, how much we can afford, but we're looking at (as cost of) about $25 million.”
Olaguibel’s bridge report to MEDC was mostly focused on truck movements and the Anzalduas bridge. However, he did start by saying the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge, which caters for passenger vehicles and pedestrians, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next month.
“McAllen owns and operates two international bridges. You’ve got the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge as well as the Anzalduas International Bridge. The McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge opened operations on July 10, 1926. July, this next month, we celebrate our 100 years in business, so we're very excited for that.
“Today, we cross over 240,000 vehicles through that bridge, and more than 110,000 pedestrians. It's the only pedestrian bridge in the region. And another thing is that we also have the only exclusive global entry or Sentri land through that bridge, so it makes it really fast to across. With that said, I will now give you an update on what the Anzalduas International Bridge will be having.”
He pointed out that Anzalduas International Bridge is in Mission and connects Mission to Reynosa. He noted that Reynosa has three international bridges.
“We're about two and a half hours away from Monterrey, but just right across from Anzalduas International Bridge you have two very big industrial parks, you have Villa Florida and you have Parque Del Norte.
“One of the things that we will be having at Anzalduas is… it will be the only CTPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) certified bridge, exclusive only for CTPAT certified companies to run through.
“One of the things we wanted to do is… we built 30 docking bases for CBP (Customs and Border Protection), and by doing this, it (Anzalduas) will be the fastest. It's intended to be the fastest, most efficient, effective bridge in the United States. So, if you've ever traveled through a global entry lane or a Sentri lane, this is exactly the same, except that it's for trucks.
“The idea is to get the trucks through the bridge and come in through CBP as quickly as possible. We're being told that it'll probably take you longer to drive the three-mile bridge than it will to go through CBP, and the chances of them stopping you and pulling you over… it’s a very small percentage. I’m not sure, correct me if I am wrong, Jorge, maybe one percent? It is that low.”
Olaguibel wanted to double check with Jorge Torres, a famed customs broker who was sitting next to him.
During his presentation, Olaguibel had a PowerPoint with various slides showing aerial views of the Anzalduas bridge. He said it will not be long before the bridge can take fully loaded trucks.
“We are at 99 percent complete. We are being told by both state departments, the US State Department and the Mexico State Department, that 2026 will be the year that we open operations (at Anzalduas). Right now, we're working with Mexico to have unified cargo processing, which basically means we will have Mexican agents on the US side to process the trucks, next to the US Customs site, and on the southbound, which is on the left-hand side, as trucks leave, we'll also have Mexican customs with US Customs. This is until they have all infrastructure complete on the Mexican side.”
Olaguibel said CBP will first announce when Anzalduas International Bridge is CTPAT certified on its website.
“Also, this is only a dry goods bridge, produce still goes through Pharr and going out (southbound to Mexico) it'll be for everything. So, CTPAT is only for vehicles coming in (from Mexico).”
During the Q&A portion of presentation, there was discussion about how many of the trucks crossing the Pharr port of entry were carrying fresh produce and how many were bringing products from maquiladoras.
“It’s about almost a 50-50 split between produce and maquiladora. And the produce, those are the ones from the interior,” answered Torres, the customs broker.
Olaguibel had already explained that Anzalduas would not be catering for the fresh produce market.
“So, you're expecting to get 50 percent of the traffic currently going through Pharr?” Olaguibel was asked by one of the stakeholders.
Definitely not, Olaguibel responded.
“No, we're not cannibalizing anything. The entire premise of this (expansion of Anzalduas) is to not cannibalize what we have, but to attract more business, and that's exactly the point of why we're not opening up for everybody. We are staying certified. We want the (trucking) companies to be certified.”
The competitive advantage Anzalduas will have over other bridges is speed, Olaguibel said. “For a business to be able to cross their trucks in five minutes, there's no place that has that. We can do that,” he said.
Elizabeth Suarez, president and CEO of McAllen EDC, said having a bridge (Anzalduas) that focuses on maquiladoras will help that industry.
“We have to improve the current ecosystem,” Suarez said. “About 80% of manufacturing in Reynosa right now is tier three manufacturers that feed a lot of those that are feeding into the automotive industry. It looks like 30 percent of the total activity right now is feeding the automotive industry, attracting folks like Valeo, Panasonic, Denso to the area, which are all tier ones that feed automotive… this connection is really needed to enhance that operation and that logistic demand. But it will also give us an opportunity as we're connecting the dots with other suppliers in that industry, gives us an opportunity to continue to attract that industry.”
Suarez said she and McAllen’s city manager have been meeting with Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority to ensure Section C of the Hidalgo County Loop is given priority. As Anzalduas attracts more trucks this section will be vital, she explained.
“It’s no longer when we get business, or when manufacturing increases, it is here now,” Suarez said.
One of the HCRMA board members was at the stakeholders meeting: Secretary/Treasurer Michael J. Williamson.
“We're really happy with Daniel (Garcia) being on board (as executive director of HCRMA). He has been so proactive in reaching out to us. We’ve never had that, at the EDC level, this type of dialog. So, thank you,” Suarez told Williamson.
“We’re excited to be working with him. We offer a lot of feedback to him. I am really wanting to advocate for the need that we're going to have immediately to ensure that smooth logistical flow for our companies that are now developing in McAllen.”
