The Juárez–Lincoln International Bridge (also known as Laredo International Bridge 2) is one of four vehicular international bridges located in the cities of

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

, and

Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, United States. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo La ...

, that connect the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

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 ...

over the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

(Río Bravo). It is owned and operated by City of Laredo and the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Mexico's federal Secretariat of Communication and Transportation).

History

The Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge was named in honor of the Mexican President

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

and U.S. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. It was built in 1976 to alleviate traffic on the

Gateway to the Americas International Bridge The Gateway to the Americas International Bridge is one of four vehicular international bridges located in the cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, that connect the United States and Mexico over the Rio Grande (Río Bravo). ...

and to accommodate the fast-growing cities of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo.

Description

The Juárez–Lincoln International Bridge is an eight-lane bridge with and is long and wide. The international bridge is for buses and non-commercial traffic only. The bridge is also known as Bridge Number Two, Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Bridge 2, New Bridge, Puente Juárez-Lincoln, Laredo II and Puente Nuevo. It had a dedicated lane for

SENTRI The Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) provides expedited U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing, at the U.S.–Mexico border, of pre-approved travelers considered low-risk. Voluntary applicants must ...

program users until 2018. SENTRI users now have to cross through the

. The change was made to accommodate SENTRI users from long lines and long waiting.

Location

This bridge is located in the southern terminus of

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

east of downtown Laredo, Texas and on the northern terminus of

Luis Donaldo Colosio Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta (; 10 February 1950 – 23 March 1994) was a Mexican politician, economist, and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) President of Mexico, presidential candidate, who was assassinated at a campaign rally in Tiju ...

Loop in

. It operates 24 hours a day.

Border crossing

The Laredo Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry is the international

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border control, border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not impo ...

inspection station at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge.https://web.archive.org/web/20121030081336/http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/tx/2304.xml The station was built in 1976, primarily to divert truck traffic from the congested

. However, it too was soon overwhelmed with traffic. Currently, all trucks are inspected at the other bridge crossings, leaving only passenger vehicles and buses crossing at this location.

References

External links