Construction of bridges for the movement of land cargo through Puerto Verde will begin in mid-2026 , with an investment of 240 million dollars .
Arturo García Luna, executive vice president of Grupo Puerto Verde, said the goal is for trucks to begin operating on this new infrastructure between June and August 2028 .
“It’s a bridge that will have capacity based on demand. We can start with 4,000 boxes a day or go up to 15,000 or 18,000 boxes a day. Our size doesn’t depend on the bridge itself, but on the inspection areas we have at customs, which have capacity based on demand. We don’t want a parking lot above the river, but rather an inspection area that is agile, adequate, and that offers the benefit of being able to move quickly,” he commented in an interview.
Puerto Verde will be a corridor between the cities of Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Coahuila. It will feature a bridge and trade corridor, improving the speed and ease of processing rail and freight traffic.
He explained that this project includes a vehicular bridge for motor transport and, in the future, a rail connection , both of which already have presidential approval. This would replicate what is being done in bilateral trade between Nuevo Laredo and Laredo.
García Luna explained that an investment will also be made in real estate development on both sides of the border . He assured that the proposed infrastructure will allow for the expedited movement of merchandise between Mexico and the United States and vice versa, as well as joint inspection.
“We’re going to seek to integrate what exists today with the existing rail infrastructure, which currently handles between 15 and 18 trains per day through Piedras Negras. This could increase to 30 or 35 trains if this new bridge were used, which would expand operating capacity. It has more rail and truck crossings because they’re dedicated to trade, as there are no combined crossings, and that helps streamline freight,” he stated.
He indicated that 18,000 trucks cross the Nuevo Laredo III Bridge alone per day , while the flow in Colombia is smaller. “What we’re looking for is a dedicated bridge; our niche market is commerce.”
“The saturation of the dedicated bridges, of which there are only two, made it possible to implement a strategy to create a resilience line like the one we are proposing. The increase in freight flows across Highway 57, in Piedras Negras, the second safest city in Mexico, has increased infrastructure, allowing new companies to invest in the region, creating jobs, construction, and many other things that add value to the project,” he stated.
According to the latest report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) , cargo between the United States and Mexico reached $74.4 billion last July, 5.2% more than the same month in 2024.
Of that figure, trucks moved $87.3 billion of cargo , a 0.6% increase over the same period. Meanwhile, railroads moved $14.4 billion of cargo, a 10.1% year-over-year decrease.
Laredo, El Paso, and Otay Mesa are the main truck ports with Mexico; while Laredo, Eagle Pass, and El Paso are for rail connections.
Comment and follow us on X: @evandeltoro / @GrupoT21
