PHARR, Texas — The eagerly awaited second span of the Pharr International Bridge is rapidly approaching the finish line, with construction now over 99 percent complete and on track to open within the next two months.
Luis Bazan, director of the Pharr International Bridge, confirmed the timeline during an interview inside a Capistrano cold warehouse following a press conference held to announce the upcoming "Fresh on the Border Week" initiatives.
"We're at the final leg. We're almost there," Bazan said. "We've been working on this for about five years now, since we started with the process of just the thought of it—getting the presidential permit, making our visits. We’ve got about six to eight more weeks to go to finalize the construction."
The expansion is poised to double the bridge's capacity, providing a critical boost to cross-border commerce at one of the nation’s most vital commercial ports of entry.
"It's monumental. It's historic," Bazan added. "With the expansion, we increase our capacity by 100%. So that means we have a lot of room for growth and improvement."
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While the Pharr International Bridge is widely recognized as the premier crossing point for agricultural imports—handling 33 to 35 percent of the produce entering the state and over 65 percent for the nation—bridge officials emphasized that the new infrastructure is designed to serve a broad spectrum of industries.
Bazan noted that the bridge’s top imports and exports feature a diverse mix of manufacturing, automotive components, medical supplies, and advanced technology. Bridge leadership is actively marketing the expansion on both sides of the border to target these varied sectors, balancing outreach equally between the U.S. and Mexico.
"We service all these different industries... technology, the automotive, the produce," Bazan said. "They see that logistically speaking, it makes sense for their business, and of course, we'll take it. But we're also here to take more."
The growth marks a steep upward trajectory from a decade ago. When bridge leadership first began aggressive recruiting efforts in Mexican markets around 2013 and 2014, Pharr captured only an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the regional produce market share. Today, the city’s proactive strategy—including the development of a 100-acre tract dedicated to cold warehouses and distribution centers—has solidified Pharr's logistical dominance.
To sustain this growth, Bazan emphasized that scaling the bridge's business requires a simultaneous focus on technological innovation and process improvements. Bridge officials are working closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Mexico’s Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (Aduana) to implement programs like Unified Cargo Processing to streamline cross-border trade.
The interview also highlighted the launch of the brand-new Gateway Forum, an initiative developed by the Pharr Border Business Advancement Team designed to bring the entire international supply chain together under one roof.
The forum will officially kick off "Fresh on the Border Week," serving as a catalyst to attract industrial developers, investors, and real estate companies to the region just as the peak produce season begins. The week’s festivities will also feature the "Taste the Trade" event, the third annual "Drive for Trade" golf tournament, and will conclude with the annual Avocado Festival in downtown Pharr.
