World Trade Bridge: North America’s Largest Border Crossing

The World Trade Bridge in Laredo is the largest border crossing (in terms of the value of trade handled by the United States, Mexico, and Canada) in North America.

Likewise, the World Trade Bridge is one of the 4 international bridges located in the cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, which connect the United States and Mexico over the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) .

Texas has a 1,254-mile border with Mexico, which represents more than 64% of the total border between the United States and Mexico.

There are 28 border crossings along the Texas-Mexico border, and 14 of them handle Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs).

Additionally, there are five operational rail crossings along the Texas-Mexico border: Brownsville, Laredo, Eagle Pass, and two in El Paso.

World trade bridge

Texas border crossings and the multimodal transportation system comprised of highways and rail corridors, airports, seaports, and pipelines are critical to facilitating US and Texas trade with Mexico and supporting the economic competitiveness of Texas and the United States.

The World Trade Bridge is owned and operated by the City of Laredo and the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation.

According to the Texas Department of Transport, in 2019, 50 cents of every dollar of trade between the United States and Mexico moved at a Texas border crossing by truck, and 69% of the trucks and 90% of the trains crossing to the United States from Mexico they did it in Texas.

The projected increase in trade with Mexico will require continued investments in Texas in border crossings and in the transportation system to ensure the efficient movement of trade between the United States-Mexico and Texas-Mexico through the Texas-Mexico border.

The World Trade Bridge is also known as the Laredo International Bridge.