Passenger traffic to Mexico is down, but commercial is up

Bridge crossings at the three international bridges operated by Cameron County are sending mixed singles.

While preliminary figures indicate vehicle crossings declined by 12 percent from April to June of this year compared with the same reporting period last year, commercial vehicle traffic increased by 10 percent.

The county also saw a 2 percent increase in bridge revenues during this same reporting period, preliminary reports suggest.

Cameron County maintains the Gateway International Bridge, Veterans Bridge and the Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios.

County Judge Carlos H. Cascos said while there appears to be a slight increase in revenue it won’t have a major impact on balancing the county’s proposed budget for 2010-2011. A budget shortfall of $1.5 million is being projected and that figure could increase by another $4.5 million if the county opens the addition at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center in Olmito.

“Even if (bridge revenue) is up a little bit that is not going to have a significant impact,” Cascos said.

Fluctuating bridge crossings in Cameron County are nothing new. The county has experienced a decrease in numbers over the past few years.

Officials have attributed the revenue drop to confusion over new passport regulations, tighter security at the bridges and long lines that deter motorists from crossing.

Another factor may be the ongoing violence in Mexico, which has prompted some U.S. citizens to curtail travel to that country. Just last week, the U.S. State Department revised its travel warning urging residents to consider the risks involved in travel to Mexico.

“I don’t think you can point to one single component” as to why people are not crossing the border, Cascos said.

Bridge revenues are part of the county’s general fund, used for general operations, from paying salaries to buying equipment.

In the past, Cascos has pushed for more money in county reserves to compensate for such shortfalls as bridge collections, on which the county had relied to balance its budget.

The Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge also reports a decline in bridge crossings. Traffic from January to June declined by 3.4 percent compared with the first six months of 2009, with nearly 800 fewer trucks and 73,000 fewer cars crossing into Mexico.

Southbound traffic on the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge has also declined, with fewer cars and trucks crossing each year since 2007.

The Monitor contributed to his report.