McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) – The State Department has approved the expansion of another international bridge connecting Laredo, Texas, to Mexico, and paving the way for presidential approval by the Trump administration, officials said Friday.
The State Department has OK’d expanding the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge connecting Laredo to Colombia, Nuevo León, Mexico.
During a news conference held Friday at Laredo City Hall, Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño called the preliminary approval to expand a “very important milestone in Laredo’s history in being a leader in international trade and commerce.”
The expansion still must be approved by the White House and President Donald Trump before construction and renovations can begin, but South Texas officials say they are confident that will occur.
If so, then the bridge would be increased from four to 18 lanes in both directions crossing the border.
“It really is a game changer,” said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, whose hometown is Laredo.
“This means the trade will increase between the United States and Mexico,” said Cuellar who with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, helped to get legislation passed that allowed for special fast-tracking of the bridge permitting process in three South Texas counties including Webb, Maverick and Cameron counties.
The expedited process has been lobbied by South Texas officials since 2023 and has, so far, resulted in presidential approval for the building of a new bridge in Brownsville, Texas, and Eagle Pass, Texas, as well as the expansion of the World Trade Bridge, in Laredo.
Ultimately leaders want to build these new international bridges in South Texas:
- The Flor de Mayo International Bridge in Brownsville.
- The 4/5 Bridge in Rio Bravo, southeast of Laredo.
- The Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge in Eagle Pass.
In June, former President Joe Biden issued presidential permits to expand the World Trade Bridge by adding 10 new lanes, as well as build the new bridges in Brownsville and Eagle Pass. Officials are still waiting on approval for what’s called the 4/5 Bridge that will connect southeast of Laredo to Tamaulipas, Mexico, as well as the expansion of the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge.
If the 4/5 Bridge and Colombia Solidarity Bridge are approved by the White House, then Cuellar says no other single region on the border will have received as many presidential permits.
Cuellar says the World Trade Bridge, which connects Laredo to Nuevo Laredo, which is in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, is the No. 1 port for imports in the United States – “bigger than Los Angeles,” he said.
But congestion of truck traffic at that commercial bridge is causing annual losses of up to $1.5 billion in gross domestic product annually, Treviño said.
By expanding the Colombia Solidarity Bridge, located about 20 miles northwest, however, that can help more trucks pass into Laredo and move more products across the Southwest border and into the interior of the United States, he said.
Under the special law for South Texas international bridges, the State Department must submit for approval and the White House must approve or deny the permits within 60 days. The permits allow construction to begin while environmental review processes are ongoing. Construction could be halted if environmental concerns are discovered.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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