Ceremony marks CPKC opening of second US-Mexico rail bridge

Canadian Pacific Kansas City held the official opening ceremonies for the new Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge, the second span crossing the Rio Grande at the busiest rail gateway between the United States and Mexico.

“The name Patrick J. Ottensmeyer will forever be a part of the proud history of Kansas City Southern and the legacy of CPKC,” CPKC Chief Executive Keith Creel said in a release marking the ribbon-cutting event. “Pat believed strongly in the work our railroaders do every day enabling trade amongst great nations. His leadership and vision led to the development and completion of the second span of the international bridge between the United States and Mexico at North America’s largest inland gateway. Having it bear his name is a fitting tribute to a remarkable leader and person.”

Ottensmeyer, who served as Kansas City Southern’s last CEO between 2015 and April 2023, died in July 2024 at age 67.

The bridge was completed in December, eliminating the four-hour directional-running windows that created a border bottleneck. The $100 million, 1,170-foot-long bridge, built 35 feet downstream from the cross-border bridge that opened in 1920, is a ballasted deck plate girder bridge with six reinforced concrete piers. Its enhanced border security features include a new X-ray railcar inspection system and surveillance cameras.