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The Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) is a group of international bridges which cross the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) and
Texas State Highway Loop 375 Loop 375 is a beltway that partially encircles the city of El Paso, Texas. The beltway is mostly a freeway, except for its northern section, which includes at-grade intersections. The highway passes through various areas of El Paso, funneling t ...
, connecting the
Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...
cities of
Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...
, Chihuahua, and
El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
, via the MX 45 (known as Avenida de las Américas in its Ciudad Juárez section) from the south and the I-110 from the north, crossing the El Paso BOTA Port of Entry. The bridge is known colloquially as "Puente Libre" ("Free Bridge") in Ciudad Juárez, officially as "Puente Internacional Córdova-Las Américas" ("Córdova-The Americas International Bridge") or "Puente Internacional Córdova de las Américas" ("Córdova of the Americas International Bridge"), and also as "Puente Río Bravo" ("Rio Bravo Bridge"), "Cordova Bridge", and "Free Bridge"."Texas-Mexico International Bridges and Border Crossings: Existing and Proposed (2013)"
, Texas Department of Transportation ccessed 2015-08-04/ref>


Description

The Bridge of the Americas consists of two bridges comprising four separate structures: two two-lane bridges for
truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
traffic, northbound and southbound; and two four-lane bridges for
passenger vehicles A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billi ...
, with two sidewalks for
pedestrians A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the ''sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British Eng ...
. The bridge is one of four international points of entry connecting Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, forming the binational
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
of
El Paso–Juárez El Paso–Juárez, also known as Juárez–El Paso, the Borderplex or Paso del Norte, is a transborder agglomeration, on the border between Mexico and the United States. The region is centered on two large cities: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexi ...
, alongside the
Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge The Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge is an international crossing over the Rio Grande, connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Ciudad () is the Spanish word for "city". Ciudad or ...
,
Paso del Norte Bridge Paso or PASO may refer to: People * Fernando del Paso (born 1935), Mexican novelist * Juan José Paso, (1758–1833), Argentine politician Other uses * Paso (float), an elaborate float made for religious processions * Paso (theatre), a sevent ...
, and
Stanton Street Bridge The Good Neighbor International Bridge, commonly known as the Stanton Street Bridge, is an international bridge connecting the United States–Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the Rio Grande (Río Bra ...
.


History

The bridges were constructed from 1996 to 1998. The bridge is owned by the
International Boundary and Water Commission The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC, , CILA) is an international body created by the United States and Mexico in 1889 to apply the rules for determining the location of their international boundary when meandering rivers trans ...
, and operated in its American section by
U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilita ...
and its Mexican section by Mexican Customs. It is one of just five bridges connecting Mexico and the United States from
Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...
. As of 2015, it is the only one that is
toll free A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number is free of charge, unless air-charges apply for mobile telephone service. A toll-free ...
(hence the name "Puente Libre" meaning "Free Bridge").


Border crossing

The El Paso BOTA Port of Entry is El Paso's highest volume border crossing, carrying more than half the vehicles (trucks and passenger cars) entering
El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
, from
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
.


In popular culture

The American drama television series '' The Bridge'' (2013) is set on the Bridge of the Americas and in surrounding areas. The bridge is featured in the
Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...
film ''Sicario'' (2015).


See also

* * * * * List of crossings of the Rio Grande * List of international bridges in North America


References


External links

* International bridges in Texas International bridges in Chihuahua (state) Bridges completed in 1998 Transportation buildings and structures in El Paso County, Texas Road bridges in Texas Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Interstate 10 {{Texas-bridge-struct-stub