With approximately 5,000 trucks per day, the Pharr International Bridge is the fourth busiest bridge between Mexico and the United States, behind only Laredo, El Paso and Otay Mesa. This bridge generates around 1.4 million crossings between Pharr and Reynosa, which represents approximately 35 billion dollars in foreign trade.
The Pharr Bridge connects the states of Tamaulipas and Texas, being known as the bridge of perishables, since at least 30% of the products that cross daily are perishables, the rest represent the maquila industries, such as automotive machines, tools, TV monitors, computers, among others.
It is not only known as the perishable goods bridge because of the amount of perishable goods crossing daily, but also because more than 60% of all perishable goods entering the United States from Mexico cross through this bridge.
About its history…
Its doors opened in November 1994 thanks to NAFTA, and in that year, there was a daily crossing of 50 to 60 trucks between the United States and Mexico. Alfredo Brouwen has overseen the crossing function since the Pharr International Bridge began operations, and he emphasized that 90% of what enters the United States from Mexico returns to Mexico through the same bridge.
In 2001, about 260,000 trucks crossed annually, increasing to more than 500,000 annual crossings in 2015, and reaching approximately 1.4 million crossings today.
Expansion project
Due to its affluence and demand for foreign trade growth, the expansion of the bridge is confirmed in 2021 to streamline international trade and consolidate the region as an attractive destination for the arrival of new investments.
The expansion will consist of four additional lanes, allowing trucks and automobiles to be completely separated, dedicating specific lanes for empty, full cargo, certified cargo, and passenger vehicles, thus increasing capacity, and reducing waiting times. The approximate duration of the project is 18 months, with completion expected by 2023.
Thirty percent of the customers represent certified companies, which is why this project will especially benefit these companies, as they will be able to provide door-to-door service without having to go through the port of import in a matter of minutes instead of hours.
It is estimated that the expansion will reduce crossing times by 50 to 60%.
Investments at the door
The investment on the expansion of the bridge will benefit everyone, since because of this project more projects related to the installation of warehouses and cold rooms are expected to arrive; in fact, as Luis Bazan mentioned, the clients themselves who use the international crossing are developing industrial parks in Pharr.
Accelerated growth is being observed in the automotive sector, the energy sector, medical products, and the construction industry.
The investment by the United States for this expansion project was $50 million dollars, in addition to contemplating that since 2015 they have been investing close to $45 million dollars in improving the infrastructure of surrounding roads such as the Military Highway, which is concrete; a bridge on one side of San Juan, Texas, which is part of the 365 Tollway in the U.S., which connects with the cities of Mission and McAllen. In addition, construction will begin on the International Bridge Trade Corridor (IBTC), which runs from the Reynosa-Pharr International Bridge to the north and connects to Edinburgh.
The Pharr International Bridge is becoming more global every day, and part of its success is due to its location and the T-MEC, which makes it attractive to investors and multinationals.
