{"id":3526,"date":"2021-03-14T22:26:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T04:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/accesstomexico.mx\/blog\/?p=3526"},"modified":"2021-03-14T22:26:01","modified_gmt":"2021-03-15T04:26:01","slug":"borderlands-laredo-looks-to-add-expand-bridges-to-boost-mexico-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accesstomexico.mx\/blog\/borderlands-laredo-looks-to-add-expand-bridges-to-boost-mexico-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Borderlands: Laredo looks to add, expand bridges to boost Mexico trade."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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FREIGTH WAVES<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laredo\u2019s bridge master plan aims to boost Mexico trade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas, could reach capacity by 2030, negatively impacting commercial truck wait times and trade flows, according to a new study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings are part of the city of Laredo\u2019s bridge master plan, discussed during a Feb. 22 council council meeting. The goal of the plan is to increase trade between Mexico and the United States at all of Laredo\u2019s international bridges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe report has started signaling that the bridge should be pretty close to capacity by 2030, if nothing is done,\u201d Robert Eads, Laredo\u2019s city manager, told FreightWaves. \u201cThe good thing is we\u2019re doing things today, major projects that we know will extend that capacity, but we\u2019re still going to end up at the same point; we will still always be building out. Our true opportunity is going to be expansion of the World Trade Bridge and the greater use of the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the projects already underway include the World Trade Bridge FAST Lane Initiative and addition of weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology in existing commercial lanes, Eads said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program is a commercial clearance program for known low-risk shipments entering the United States from Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laredo\u2019s FAST project consists of relocating FAST lanes to a new site on the northside of Port Laredo, allowing FAST trucks a more direct route from the international bridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SNB Infrastructure is conducting the bridge master plan and is still collecting data and reaching out to stakeholders, which include the city of Laredo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. and Mexican customs brokers, and the Texas Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the findings from the study include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n