Today Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) and the General Services Administration (GSA) announced long-awaited improvements worth $26.8 million to the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge, also known as the Convent Avenue Port of Entry or International Bridge 1. International Bridge 1 is 70 years old and is the oldest of Laredo’s four ports. Together with previously announced upgrades to International Bridge 2, Congressman Cuellar has made $88.8 million worth of funds available for upgrades. Using estimates from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the GSA has predicted that improvements to the two bridges could create around 1,440 jobs. Please see this fact sheet for additional information.

The bridge’s last renovation was more than 25 years ago. The bridge, which had approximately 3.5 million pedestrian crossings and 1.3 million car crossings in 2014, suffers from long wait times and accessibility for visitors with disabilities or other physical impairments.

The work at the bridge will:

• Improve the efficiency of the port by reconfiguring the main car inspection lanes
• Add a dedicated bicycle inspection lane
• Increase the number of permanent pedestrian processing lanes from four to 14
• Reconfigure the inside of the historic Administration building
• Demolish the existing secondary inspection canopy for cars and replace it with a new one
• Add cameras to monitor processing

All of these improvements are expected to reduce peak car wait times from 33 to 15 minutes and peak pedestrian wait times from 49 to 21 minutes.

Previously, Congressman Cuellar announced $62 million in federal funding for renovations to the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge, also known as Bridge II. The combined funding for renovations to both bridges in Laredo is approximately $88.8 million, which Congressman Cuellar secured during the U.S. House of Representatives appropriations process.

“As a lifelong resident of Laredo, I understand the importance of the Convent Avenue Port of Entry to the local economy and to the economy of the state and nation,” Congressman Cuellar said. “The effects on commerce and transportation of the current wait times at the Convent Avenue Port of Entry will now rightly be lessened by these improvements.”

“GSA’s mission is to deliver the best value in real estate to government and the American people,” said Regional Administrator Sylvia Hernandez. “As the backbone of the federal government, one of GSA’s top priorities is to support economic development and planning in local communities. The award of the construction contract for Laredo’s Convent Avenue Port of Entry and our continued work on the Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry demonstrates GSA’s commitment to making strategic decisions with our federal partners and stakeholders while promoting economic development. Both projects will help CBP in performing their mission to safeguard America’s borders.”

“As one of the nation’s busiest pedestrian, automobile and bus traffic border crossings, these modifications to Bridge I will help to not only create a more efficient and secure processing of people into the United States, but also, help ensure that people will not have to be exposed to the elements for an undue amount of time,” said City of Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz. “For too long, we heard stories of the elderly with no place to sit, or young mothers with little babies in strollers, toddlers and other young children, standing outside with no facility to protect them from the heat or the cold. These upgrades will finally allow them to wait humanely, in a protected area, while CBP officers conduct the necessary inspections.” 

The renovations for Bridge I will begin in April 2016 and will last approximately 16 months. Mexico-bound traffic, along with U.S.-bound bicycle and pedestrian traffic, will not be affected during this process.