The Brownsville Herald Port of Brownsville officials continue to push for approval of an international bridge to Mexico even though a change of the guard is looming in that country s federal administration. The U.S. government has endorsed construction of the international bridge, but the Mexican government hasn t made a commitment to the project. Port officials want a bridge to boost port operations.
Ships often dock at the port with tens of thousands of tons of steel.
Also, railroad traffic is increasing at the port, from an average of 300 to 500 boxcars a month a few years ago, to 1,500 to 2,000 boxcars a month today. Despite port officials optimism, getting Mexican approval for the bridge is a longshot at this point because of the proximity of elections, said Anthony Knopp, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo has only nine months or so left in his administration and there is strong competition to build international bridges, Knopp said. Moreover, Brownsville recently got a new international bridge Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates so that country s priorities as far as international bridges lie elsewhere now, Knopp said.