Border Bottleneck: Bridge Express Lane Plans Stalled Despite Available Funds

Del Rio, TX – March 25, 2025 – Express Lanes (EZ Pay) for the bridge have been previously approved. Traffic across the existing International Bridge is a growing concern. Officials went back and forth this morning at the International Bridge Board Meeting. There have been persistent delays in implementing express lanes, despite the availability of allocated funding.

Bridge Superintendent Jose Castillo presented a financial report detailing substantial reserves for totaling nearly $6 million dollars ($5,955,498.22 to be exact). Castillo said they have some $1.7 million under the bridge fund, $2.7 million in the 5% reserve funds, and $1.4 million in general fund reserves…

International Bridge Board Member Seferino Gomez III raised critical questions regarding the stalled express lane project. “It was brought to my attention that the express lanes were no longer going to happen,” Gomez posed to the board. Prior to the board meeting, when Superintendent Castillo delivered the meeting agenda, he reported that the maintenance upgrades had been approved, but not the express lanes.

Gomez questioned, “We are not going to move forward because there’s not enough money… That’s concerning to me, because in any business you need to continue to reinvest in the business for the business to continue flourishing and developing.”

The International Bridge Board expressed interest in meeting with the commission who manages the bridge funds, and International Bridge Superintendent Jose Castillo, to discuss further. Gomez then inquired, “I would like to know where that money is going, because maybe it is for something that is needed or important, especially in a time like this where the funds have gone down.”  Gomez emphasized the bridge’s economic significance, “I see the bridge as the leading revenue generator for the city, it’s a business within the city that’s generating a lot of money.”

Mayor Al Arreola acknowledged the available funds, “The funding for this particular EZ pay lanes were going to be funded by the bridge fund, right?” to which Chavez responded “right.” Arreola added, “The only thing is the studies and everything that Administration has to do?” Castillo went onto explain, “it became a much bigger issue than we thought it would be.”

The International Bridge Board believes the EZ Pay lanes will help in mitigating line lengths, so that people are not discouraged from crossing due to waiting times. Reducing traffic for citizens to easily cross the border for dinner, shopping, doctor appointments, and family visits. The board argued that express lanes are crucial to alleviate congestion and reduce waiting times, directly impacting citizens’ daily lives.

“We are losing out on profits,” Gomez stated, adding, “so we are trying to generate an easier way for these people to get back and forth on this bridge. This is the investment that we wanted to make for this bridge to continue to succeed, to continue to generate funds.”

Arreola highlighted the impact on citizens. “We have a large amount of our citizens that do go across to Mexico, back and forth.” Gomez stressed the project’s revenue potential, saying its “another avenue for increasing our revenue for our bridge.” He also emphasized the importance of the sister city relationship, saying when “Acuña benefits, Del Rio benefits, and if Del Rio benefits, Acuña benefits.” Gomez provided a conclusion saying, “the way we benefit is from having more traffic on that bridge.”

Gomez concluded that stakeholders should “revisit to see how we can get this expressway back.” Castillo agreed and said he will “bring it back to the commission next meeting.” The future of the express lane project remains uncertain. As the debate continues, international bridge traffic is only getting worse, exacerbated by recent federal increases in border security measures.