A major overhaul is coming to one of the busiest border crossings in South Texas.
The Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, which connects the city to Matamoros, Mexico, is set for a nearly $300 million modernization project designed to reduce traffic backups, improve inspections and handle growing cross-border travel and trade. It will be the bridge’s first major upgrade in more than 30 years, according to MySA.
Built in the 1920s, the Gateway International Bridge is the only Brownsville crossing that operates 24 hours a day. It serves thousands of commuters, shoppers and commercial travelers moving between Texas and northern Mexico each day.
The project will significantly expand the port of entry’s inspection areas. Plans call for increasing primary inspection lanes from five to 10 and expanding secondary inspection lanes to 24, according to reporting from MySA. Officials also plan to enlarge the bridge’s administration building from roughly 22,000 square feet to 48,000 square feet.
The project will also add a new 6,000-square-foot headhouse and a 9,000-square-foot outbound inspection facility with additional parking areas.
Federal funding for the work comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law approved in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022. Construction is already underway and is expected to continue through 2029, according to MySA.
The expansion comes as border traffic in Brownsville continues to grow. Cameron County officials told MySA that the county’s international bridge system handled about 5.6 million crossings and more than $20 billion in trade in 2024 alone.
Long wait times have become a growing issue in the region. Earlier this year, MySA reported that some travelers crossing into Brownsville from Mexico faced delays lasting several hours because of increased inspections and lane closures.
County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said those delays have created problems for both local businesses and residents who cross the border regularly for work, school and shopping.
Brownsville leaders are also working on other border infrastructure projects nearby. Last year, Cameron County received approval for a separate pedestrian bridge connecting downtown Brownsville directly to Matamoros. Officials said the goal is to separate foot traffic from vehicle traffic and improve safety and traffic flow at the border crossing.
At the same time, Cameron County is working to acquire Union Pacific Railroad’s ownership stake in the Brownsville & Matamoros International Bridge, commonly called the B&M Bridge. Local leaders have described the agreement as historic because it would end a railroad ownership arrangement that has existed for more than a century.
County officials said the B&M Bridge could help handle traffic while construction continues at Gateway over the next several years.
The work is part of a larger effort to improve border crossings in South Texas as more people and goods move through the region each year.
Source: MySA
