Laredo staff: bridge expansion environmental review clears a paperwork hurdle; $13M spent so far

City bridge staff updated the Port of Entry Committee on the status of two bridge expansion projects and financing options, reporting progress on environmental review, permitting and preliminary costs.

"There were only a few comments [on the draft environmental assessment] and no requests for a public hearing," bridge staff reported. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration advised staff that a 30-day notice of availability for the final environmental assessment was not required under the cited provision, allowing staff to proceed to the next federal steps and apply for a U.S. Coast Guard bridge permit.

Staff said design plans remain under review by the city's engineering department, and noted the capital work includes additional costs beyond core construction: land acquisition, relocations and utility moves (for example, an estimated $2.5 million relocation of an irrigation system tied to the World Trade project). Bridge operations will fund near-term expenses while staff pursues Department of Transportation grants and bond financing; staff said they applied for the maximum available per-bridge and expected grant decisions by June 28.

Committee members asked about expenditures to date. Staff reported roughly $13 million already spent on the two projects: about $11 million on World Trade and $2 million on Colombia, plus the $2.5 million irrigation relocation estimate. Staff emphasized that applying for bonds would increase debt service and that grant awards would help reduce the operations budget impact.

Staff also briefed the committee on a proposed World Trade import-lot driveway still in design; no timeline or cost estimate has been finalized and the project will be prioritized against expansion work depending on available funds.

The committee heard staff's recommendation to continue permitting and design work and await grant decisions; no formal committee vote was taken.

Next step: staff will continue design review, apply for the required permits and report grant outcomes to the committee.