BROWNSVILLE, Texas - During an in-depth presentation on Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority’s current workload at a recent South Texas Manufacturer’s Association meeting held at the Brownsville Events Center, CCRMA Executive Director Pete Sepulveda spoke about the Free Trade International Bridge project.
Sepulveda said during the last year or so, the bridge has seen an approximate 250% increase in commercial traffic, primarily fuel trucks.
“The project’s intention was to restructure, remodel the export plot at the Free Trade Bridge so that we could accommodate dual inspections by United States Customs and Border Protection and Mexican Customs,” Sepulveda said.
The plan, Sepulveda added, is to have dual inspections primarily for transmigrantes and potentially for fuel trucks to be pre-cleared on the US side so the process once they get into Mexico, would be simpler.
A transmigrante in the context of the US-Mexico border refers to individuals who transport used goods (like vehicles and household items) from the United States to Latin America for resale.
“The project just started construction,” he said. “We've got a local company, Ziwa, that is a contractor. It's about 10% complete, but it's a small, relatively small project. So, the next six to nine months, it should be complete. But we are going through GSA, the General Services Administration. So, the process takes a little bit longer, going through the federal requirements.”
The proposed project includes two additional phases for the Los Indios – Land Port of Entry – Export Site Renovation. Phase 1 requires the relocation of existing staff from the existing Import Building to a temporary modular trailer. Phase 2 of the project involves selective demolition and new construction of office workspace for both CBP and Mexican Customs.
