U.S., Mexico inaugurate new rail bridge at Brownsville

The newly opened West Rail Bypass International Bridge at Brownsville, Texas is the first new rail crossing constructed between the U.S. and Mexico since 1910.    U.S. and Mexican government officials gathered at Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday to inaugurate the recent opening of the new West Rail Bypass International Bridge, the first new rail crossing constructed between the two countries since 1910.
   The bridge connects rail traffic between Brownsville and Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
   The increase in trade between the United States and Mexico since the implementation of NAFTA has placed enormous strain on cross-border transportation infrastructure.
   “Our commercial crossings were not modernized following the completion of NAFTA, which means we are still using infrastructure that was built for roughly a quarter of our current trade volume. And the congestion at our borders will only become more acute once we finalize and implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” said Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker in prepared remarks.
   The Commerce Department estimates that the value of trade between the two countries has increased six-fold – from $100 billion in 1993 to $592 billion in 2014.
   It’s further estimated that nearly $1.5 billion in goods cross between the United States and Mexico daily. About 80 percent of this trade crosses the border by truck and rail. Commerce pointed out that U.S. imports from Mexico contain 40 percent U.S. content, which means U.S.- and Mexican-made goods often cross the border multiple times between the raw material and final product stages.
   However, Pritzker noted the bridge was a long-term project that faced many bureaucratic hurdles.
   “Completing this project required a herculean effort from U.S. and Mexican leaders at the federal, state, and local levels” she said. “Finishing this rail line took over a decade and required overcoming major hurdles. Our teams persevered, and we should all be incredibly proud of this project. But we cannot wait another 100 years before we inaugurate the next new bridge or road connecting our countries.”
   This new rail bridge crossing also follows the recent opening of a new U.S. port of entry facility at Nogales-Mariposa. The structure will be able to handle about 4,000 trucks daily – up from about 1,600 – and process up to $35 billion in goods annually, Pritzker said.