Stakeholders Discuss Laredo Bridge Expansion Aimed at Speeding Cargo Clearance
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Laredo, Texas, officials during an Aug. 31 stakeholder meeting touted the pre-clearance benefits that an expansion project at Laredo’s World Trade Bridge will bring once completed, according to a statement by Cuellar’s office (here). The…
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project at the eight-lane commercial traffic bridge aims to add a lane for pre-cleared cargo and other lanes, and will include an expansion of the bridge infrastructure, the office said. Furthermore, a U.S.-Mexico joint pre-inspection program would cut customs processing times and trade costs by instituting dual export/import inspections, and is anticipated to expedite goods flows, alleviate congestion, and boost the economic competitiveness of Laredo and its neighbor, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Cuellar said. Planned ease-of-business enhancements will allow Laredo to remain the U.S.’s “preeminent inland port,” and give it an advantage over “all other port competitors,” as cargo vehicles will experience easier and more efficient clearance processes, Laredo City Manager Jesus Olivares said in a statement.