LAREDO, Texas - President Biden has granted a presidential permit to Southwebb Bridge Company, LLC, to construct, maintain, and operate a vehicular and pedestrian crossing located on the U.S. border with Mexico in Laredo.
The project is known as the Laredo 4/5 International Bridge.
Click here to read the official permit.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has pushed for the permit. He offered this reaction:
"I’ve made securing presidential permits for Texas-Mexico border bridge infrastructure projects a top priority. My bipartisan legislation to streamline the approval process for these bridge projects has now resulted in yet another swift approval for a bridge that will massively increase trade with our neighbor to the south, boost the resiliency of our supply chain, and support good-paying jobs across the Lone Star State. I am proud to have worked with my colleagues to support Bridge 4/5 in Webb County and am thrilled that they have now secured their presidential permit."
Editor's Note: Here is the Rio Grande Guardian's original news story on the project:
Cruz, Cornyn, write to White House in support of Bridge 4/5 project
LAREDO, Texas - U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz have written to President Biden in support of the 4/5 Bridge project permit in Laredo.
The project proposes the construction of an international bridge at the entrance to the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway, which would be for cargo, light vehicles and pedestrians.
The 4/5 International Bridge in the Rio Bravo and El Cenizo area. The project has been referred to as 4/5 because it would be Nuevo Laredo’s fourth international bridge and Laredo’s fifth. The 4/5 International Bridge would be built in the Rio Bravo and El Cenizo area of Webb County.
On the U.S. side, Webb County would be partnering with Southwebb Bridge Company LLC on the project, as well as the cities of Laredo, Rio Bravo, and El Cenizo.
Here is a copy of the letter:
October 2, 2024
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to urge you to approve the Laredo 4/5 International Bridge (Bridge 4/5) presidential permit application submitted by Southwebb Bridge Company in Webb County, Texas.
Mexico is a vital trading partner not only for Texas but for the entire United States. In 2023, $807 billion worth of goods moved across the U.S. southern border, making Mexico our country’s top trading partner. The Texas Department of Transportation estimates that nearly 70 percent of commercial motor vehicles coming to the U.S. from Mexico cross through Texas. Bridge 4/5 would strengthen the cross-border transportation network with a new cross-border trade bridge and land port of entry. The project would also support jobs and economic development in Texas and enhance the U.S.-Mexico trade relationship.
Section 5414 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA) established a process for your administration to issue presidential permits for international bridge projects in Webb, Cameron, and Maverick counties in Texas submitted between December 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024. At the time you signed the NDAA into law there were four international bridges eligible under this provision, three of which you approved on May 31,2024. Our understanding is that the State Department considered the presidential permit application for Bridge 4/5 complete on June 6, 2024, and submitted a recommendation to you on August 5.
We strongly urge you to swiftly approve the presidential permit for Bridge 4/5, which will bolster trade with Mexico, improve supply chain resiliency, and create good paying jobs in Texas.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator
John Cornyn, U.S. Senator
