Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Veterans International Bridge |
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|---|---|
| Carries |    I-69E / US 77 / US 83,   Fed. 101 / Fed. 180 and pedestrians |
| Crosses | Rio Grande |
| Locale | Brownsville, Texas – Matamoros, Mexico |
| Official name | Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates |
| Other name(s) | Veterans Bridge, Los Tomates Bridge, Puente Internacional Gral. Ignacio Zaragoza |
| Maintained by | Cameron County, Texas |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 4,024 ft (1,227 m) |
| Width | 42 ft (13 m) |
The Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates is a special bridge that connects two countries: Mexico and the United States. It crosses the Rio Grande river, linking the cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas in Mexico. People also call it the Veterans Bridge, the Los Tomates Bridge, or in Mexico, the Puente Internacional Ignacio Zaragoza.
This important bridge helps connect the large Matamoros–Brownsville area. This area is home to over 1.1 million people. It is one of the biggest connected cities along the Mexico-US border. The local government of Cameron County, Texas owns and runs the bridge.
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What is the Veterans Bridge?
The Veterans International Bridge opened in 1999. It is the newest of the three bridges in the Brownsville area. The bridge has four lanes for cars and a special lane for trucks. It also has sidewalks on both sides, so people can walk or bike across. The bridge is open every day from 6 in the morning until midnight.
On the Brownsville side, the bridge connects to major highways like I-69E, US 77, and US 83. It also leads to the Brownsville – Veterans Port of Entry. On the Matamoros side, it connects to Mexican highways Fed. 101 and Fed. 180.
Crossing the bridge costs money, which is called a toll. As of 2010, it cost about $0.75 for bikes and people walking. Cars and small trucks paid about $3. Larger trucks paid more, starting at $7.75. Many people use this bridge. In 2010, over 1.6 million crossings happened here. That's twice as many as the Los Indios Bridge!
Crossing the Border
The Brownsville Veterans Port of Entry is the official place where people and goods cross the border using this bridge. It opened in 1999 when the bridge was finished. This crossing is the most eastern point where you can cross from the US into Mexico in this area. It is also the newest of the three crossings between Brownsville and Matamoros.
Bridge History
Building the Veterans International Bridge was a big project. It needed many groups from both the U.S. and Mexico to work together. These groups included local, state, and national government agencies.
Part of the project was building the Los Tomates Expressway. This new road helped connect Brownsville, Texas, with Matamoros, Mexico. It included new elevated lanes and improved other roads nearby. The project also moved a park and created a new wildlife preserve. Thanks to the bridge and other new roads, big trucks can now avoid driving through the busy downtown areas of Brownsville and Matamoros. This helps traffic flow much better.
How the Bridge Was Designed
The design and planning for the Veterans International Bridge were done by a company called Maverick Engineering, Inc. They worked on adding more lanes to the bridge. This included a fast lane for cars and several lanes for trucks. One special lane was for quick processing of freight coming from Mexico under the NAFTA agreement. The bridge connects to major US highways, making it a key route for goods traveling across the United States.
