On Tuesday, February 18^th, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) joined General Services Administration Administrator Dan Tangherlini, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and other Administration officials to announce over $62 million in funding for improvement at Laredo’s bridges.  

“With these funds, Laredo will be able to modernize the infrastructure and expand the facilities at our bridges,” said Congressman Cuellar.  ”This means pedestrians will no longer have to wait in long lines in the heat and buses and cars will pass more quickly across the border. It will also increase the safety of our border communities and allow for better flow of trade and commerce through our ports.  I would like to thank General Services Administration Administrator Dan Tangherlini for his continued support for this project.  I would also like to thank the City of Laredo as well as my colleagues Congressman Ander Crenshaw and Congressman Jose Serrano for their support of this funding.”

“Laredo is a top priority for GSA, and is a perfect example of how the agency’s commitment to efficiency and savings serves federal agencies and taxpayers alike,” said General Services Administration Administrator Dan Tangherlini. “By making critical investments in America’s infrastructure today, we will create significant savings by preventing costly emergency repairs in the future.” 

Funding for the bridges comes as part of the Fiscal Year 2014 Appropriations Bill. The expansion project will modernize Laredo’s two bridge facilities, on Convent Street and on Juarez and Lincoln.  The updates will expedite the process of permit processing and moving pedestrians and improve the flow of vehicle traffic while enhancing safety and efficiency for the travelling locals and visitors.  At Juarez and Lincoln, a bus terminal will also be constructed to process the more than 100 passenger buses that cross the border on a daily basis.  

Watch the full video of Rep. Cuellar’s speech here - http://youtu.be/XvUBW77YQ8Y.