Trade Groups Challenge Federal Proposal to Ban Tractor Trailers From El Paso's Bridge of Americas
Federal officials have come under fire from the trade community for their recommendation to ban tractor-trailers from the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso, Texas. As part of a $700 million infrastructure upgrade for the 57-year-old bridge, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has proposed eliminating all cargo traffic at this key crossing.
El Paso relies on two international bridges for commercial truck traffic: the Bridge of the Americas and the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge. Currently, the Bridge of the Americas sees about 500 northbound cargo trucks each day, while the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge handles over 1,200 – Freightwaves reports.
Near the end of September, the GSA presented three alternatives during an environmental impact study concerning the future of the Bridge of the Americas. Two of the three alternatives proposed completely stopping all commercial cargo traffic at the port of entry, with the other alternative suggesting no modernization efforts at all.
As of now, the start of the project is scheduled for 2026, of which commercial traffic would be halted at the Bridge of the Americas for three years.
How this would impact the trucking industry: For starters, truckers would have to find different routes, which could create congestion issues at nearby border bridges. Furthermore, as Freightwaves reports, the Bridge of the Americas is the only non-toll bridge in the area, if truckers were to use the Ysleta-Zaragoza bridge it would be $9 per vehicle with five axles, plus an additional $4.50 for other axles.
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