McAllen Chamber President & CEO Josh Mejia took part in the ground breaking of the $83 million infrastructure project Wednesday morning aimed to make Anzalduas Land Port of Entry fully commercial.

Many moving parts came together to help the project come to fruition including the City of McAllen, Anzalduas International Bridge Board along with federal and state elected officials.

“Today is a great day for the entire #RioGrandeValley! The Anzalduas Bridge Expansion Project will help the entire region’s cargo trade capacity. Another great exemplary project which features involvement by all forms of government and the private sector,” Mejia said.

The Anzalduas bridge is owned and operated by the city of McAllen in partnership with the cities of Hidalgo and Mission.  The bridge was opened in 2010 just for pedestrian and passenger vehicle traffic. In 2016, the bridge began allowing southbound empty truck traffic.

But now, once construction is completed in early 2024, the bridge will become a full-service cargo port of entry which will give commercial trucks another way to travel between the two countries, alleviating congestion.

The project will construct commercial inspection facilities at the Anzalduas Land Port of Entry, including inspection booths, inspection docks, equipment, roadway, parking and sidewalks. It will also make improvements to the southbound inspection facilities and construct northbound facilities.

The project was made possible by a $25 million INFRA grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a $22 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation and a $63 million loan from the North American Development Bank to the City of McAllen.

Officials estimate the project will be completed in 2024 and the bridge will process close to 2,000 commercial trucks a day in north-south trade in the first few years of operation.