Anzalduas bridge set to open in October 2009

Construction is well under way on both sides of the Anzalduas International Bridge, which is set to open in October, 2009. Work on the U.S. side of the project began in June, while the Mexican side kicked off construction in August, according to Mexican and U.S. bridge officials. The bridge will cost a total of about $168 million for both sides — $99 million on the U.S. side and $69 million in Mexico — said McAllen Bridge Director George Ramon. Amid piles of steel rebar and acres of cleared land, Tamaulipas state Gov. Eugenio Hernᮤez Flores hosted a kickoff event Tuesday at construction site on the outskirts of Reynosa, where he announced that the bridge would be open to traffic by October, 2009. “It is important for Reynosa and the whole country,” he said of the bridge in Spanish.

A coordinated plan
Mexican government officials in July awarded the bridge contract to the construction group Marhnos. The same company came under criticism, however, for construction delays and problems when it built the Mexican side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in the mid-1990s. But Alfredo Gonzᬥz Fernᮤez, Tamaulipas secretary of economic and employment development, said Marhnos and the Mexican government have developed a “master plan” that will better coordinate the development of the Anzalduas bridge project to eliminate quality problems. “The governor is asking that all new projects have a master plan to avoid those types of problems,” he said. Ramon, who oversees the U.S. side of the bridge construction, said he is optimistic the plan will eliminate any construction problems with the Mexican side. He said U.S. and Mexican engineers have met weekly throughout the project to ensure both sides stay on the same page as building progresses. “A lot of coordination will take place and has taken place,” Ramon said. “All safeguards are in place to ensure we have a quality end product.” But Ramon said Mexican builders ran into a snag when the government realized it had not acquired enough property for the project. Government officials acquired an additional 40 feet of property for the bridge, which likely set the project back about three weeks, but with more than a year left before the bridge is set to open, Ramon said workers have plenty of time to catch up. “I really feel they can make it up between now and in the next 16 months,” Ramon said.

Push for commercial traffic
With nearly $100 million to be invested on the U.S. side of the project alone, Ramon said he would like to see the two countries allow commercial and cargo vehicles to cross the bridge. Right now, the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge is the only bridge linking to Reynosa designated for commercial traffic. That designation — agreed upon by the Mexican and U.S. governments — will be expanded by 2015, or sooner if commercial traffic exceeds 15,000 vehicles per week before then, Ramon said. The Pharr bridge currently averages about 10,000 commercial vehicles per week, he said. Ramon said he has lobbied Mexican officials to allow commercial traffic at the Anzalduas bridge, which will be located near many existing maquiladora factories in Reynosa. “I have a good sense that our State Department and related agencies would favor such a move,” he said. Randy Main, president of the Reynosa Association of Maquiladoras and Manufacturers, said with the rapid industrial growth already occurring near the new border crossing, business vehicles should have the chance to cross at Anzalduas. “You’ve got a bridge here, so why not open it for commercial traffic?” he said.