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MILLIONS of trucks could be banned from crossing a well-traveled bridge for at least three years thanks to a newly proposed project.
The US State Department devised the plan out of pollution concerns, but not everyone’s on board.
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Under the new proposal, the Bridge of the Americas, which connects El Paso, Texas, to Chihuahua, Mexico, will not allow 18-wheelers due to construction.
The US General Services Administration wishes to stop the traffic so a multimillion-dollar remodeling can be completed smoothly.
They believe that traffic can be diverted to nearby roads without a hitch.
However, Mexican officials have hit back, saying the change would disproportionately affect trade from their country.
They believe that border crossings in nearby Ysleta and Marcelino Serna don’t have the infrastructure to handle the excess traffic.
“We need more bridges, more operating hours, and more personnel,” Thor Salayandia, board member of the Mexican Chamber of Industry, said, per NewsNation.
“Ysleta has too much traffic.
“If they close BOTA, we will have to find ways to send our exports.”
On Monday, Cuidad Juarez Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar said in a news conference they’re mailing a diplomatic letter to explain their concerns to the US.
“This is a matter between national governments,” Cuellar said.
“We gave our formal opinion to the US government, like the Transportation Association did.
The note expresses Mexico’s “opposition to the closure of commercial traffic at the Bridge of the Americas with solid arguments such as the increase in operating costs and waiting times, commercial growth due to nearshoring and limited capacity at other ports of entry.”
In a statement, El Paso County defended its construction plan and said it “remains focused” on making alternative routes viable while the BOTA is closed.
The project will enhance “connectivity and efficiency for cross-border trade” and improve relationships with private sector groups in Mexico, county officials said.
If the proposal is approved, truck drivers will have to wait a painful three years before they can drive across BOTA again.
El Paso residents were also asked to give their feedback to government officials, and a massive 12,000 comments were submitted.
Texas Congresswoman Veronica Escobar said she is working with commercial shipping companies to plan ahead for the closure.
“We have urged the commercial sector to think about their plan now for how they will adjust,” she said.
“There’s no guarantee that commercial traffic will ever want to come back after three years, of using different alternatives.”
New York City residents are also up in arms over a new fee that affects daily commuters.
