The story
Only one new U.S.-Mexico truck crossing capacity project is open today: the Pharr-Reynosa second span, which doubled that bridge's commercial capacity in the fall of 2026. The next ones with public dates are the Laredo World Trade Bridge expansion (construction January 2027 to mid-2028, per the City of Laredo), the new commercial port at Douglas, Arizona (construction through fall 2028, per GSA), Otay Mesa East near San Diego (late 2028 for cars, trucks in later phases, per SANDAG) and two freight-only bridges at Colombia, Nuevo León (2028 to 2030, depending on the source). The Green Corridors elevated freight guideway near Laredo is permitted but not expected before 2031. Everything else on Mexico's list is a proposal without a public date. Last updated October 27, 2026.
What did Mexico announce in October 2026?
On October 14, 2026, Mexico's foreign minister Roberto Velasco told the Senate that Mexico is pushing eight new crossing projects with the United States: Mesa de Otay II-Otay Mesa East, Agua Prieta II-Douglas II, Anapra-Sunland Park, Acuña-Del Río II, Puerto Verde, Green Corridors (an elevated freight crossing between Nuevo León and Texas), Nuevo Laredo IV-Laredo V, and Flor de Mayo. He said almost 85% of bilateral trade moves through 56 bridges and crossings, and that the plan also includes longer operating hours, joint cargo inspections, non-intrusive scanners and routing heavy trucks around border cities. He said the Reynosa-Pharr expansion gets a binational inauguration in November (El Informador, October 14, 2026).
Below is where each one stands with its operating agency, as of October 27, 2026.
Which projects have real dates?
| Project | Crossing pair | Status | Trucks? | Expected | Source (date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharr-Reynosa second span | Pharr, TX - Reynosa, Tamaulipas | Open; the city planned phased truck operations from mid-September, and the second structure was reported open October 8, 2026 | Yes, four new commercial lanes | Ribbon cutting planned November 12, 2026 (as of September 3) | Texas Border Business (Sep 3, 2026); RGV Business Journal (Oct 8, 2026) |
| World Trade Bridge expansion | Laredo, TX - Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas | Draft environmental assessment published March 2026; in design | Yes, commercial-only bridge | Construction January 2027 to end of June 2028 | TxDOT notice (Mar 18, 2026); City of Laredo via KGNS (Sep 4, 2025) |
| Douglas commercial land port of entry | Douglas, AZ - Agua Prieta, Sonora | Under construction since August 2025 | Yes, dedicated commercial port | Construction through fall 2028 | GSA (Sep 5, 2025) |
| Otay Mesa East (Otay II) | San Diego, CA - Tijuana, Baja California | Under construction; notice to proceed November 2025 | Later phases; first phase is northbound passenger vehicles | Late 2028, conditioned on the shared dynamic-toll technology | SANDAG via Uniradio Informa (Sep 25, 2026); Border Report (Nov 2025) |
| Two freight-only bridges at Colombia | Colombia, Nuevo León - Laredo, TX | Presidential permit June 2025; announced August 28, 2026 | Yes, freight only | Construction from May 2027; completion 2028 (Mexico News Daily), 2029 (Nuevo León) or end of 2030 (City of Laredo's 2025 schedule) | HCN Times (Sep 8, 2026); Mexico News Daily (Aug 31, 2026); KGNS (Sep 4, 2025) |
| Green Corridors elevated guideway | Near Laredo, TX, downstream of the Colombia bridge - Monterrey area | Presidential permit June 9, 2025; prototypes and a two-mile test track | Yes, automated freight shuttles | Not before 2031 | White House permit (Jun 9, 2025); Transport Topics (Nov 21, 2025); Mexico News Daily (Aug 31, 2026) |
| Laredo 4/5 bridge | Laredo, TX - Nuevo Laredo IV | Presidential permit October 3, 2024 to Southwebb Bridge Company LLC | Permit covers a vehicular and pedestrian crossing; truck use not stated | No public date | Federal Register (Oct 8, 2024) |
| Puerto Verde (Nava) | Maverick County, TX - Nava/Piedras Negras, Coahuila | Presidential permit to Maverick County (2024) for a vehicle, pedestrian and rail crossing | Not stated publicly | No public opening date | Mexico Industry (Jun 4, 2024) |
| Flor de Mayo | Brownsville, TX - Matamoros, Tamaulipas | Presidential permit June 2024 to Cameron County | No; four-lane passenger and pedestrian bridge | No public date | Rep. Vicente Gonzalez release; Cameron County RMA (Jun 2024) |
| Anapra-Sunland Park | Sunland Park, NM - Anapra, Chihuahua | Proposed; the mayor has said the city will update its environmental study and resubmit its presidential permit application | Not stated in the cited report | No public date | Border Report (about October 2025) |
| Acuña II-Del Río II | Del Rio, TX - Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila | Proposed; corridor study stage | Intended to move trucks off the downtown bridge | No public date | Local reporting (Prism News, Vanguardia) |
Source: Cargado analysis of the agency and press sources listed with each row.
Pharr-Reynosa is open now
Pharr's second span adds four commercial lanes and, per the RGV Business Journal (October 8, 2026), has "doubled its capacity with the opening of a second structure," which the city calls a 100% increase in bridge capacity. Bridge director Luis Bazan told Texas Border Business on September 3 that trucks would start using the new span in mid-September, with two lanes for Mexico-bound trucks at first, with the full expanded crossing in use about six weeks later and a ribbon cutting on November 12. Confirm the November 12 date with the City of Pharr before planning around it. Details on the crossing are on the Pharr-Reynosa page.
Laredo gets no new bridge capacity before mid-2028
The World Trade Bridge project widens the existing bridge by two southbound lanes and adds a new eight-lane northbound span about 1,479 feet long, according to TxDOT's draft environmental assessment notice (posted March 18, 2026, comments closed April 21, 2026). The City of Laredo's bridge director presented a schedule of construction from January 2027 to the end of June 2028 at the September 2, 2025 council meeting (KGNS). Until then, Laredo's options are the World Trade Bridge and the Colombia Solidarity Bridge.
At Colombia, Nuevo León governor Samuel García announced on August 28, 2026 two bridges "dedicated exclusively to commercial freight," an estimated $200 million split between Texas and Nuevo León, with construction expected to begin in May 2027 and finish in 2029 (HCN Times). Mexico News Daily reported the same project with completion in 2028. The City of Laredo's own September 2025 schedule for the Colombia expansion was later: design April 2027 to July 2028, construction from May 2029, completion at the end of 2030. The U.S. presidential permit for the Colombia expansion was signed in June 2025. Published completion dates therefore run from 2028 to the end of 2030 depending on the source; watch for a reconciled binational schedule.
The Laredo 4/5 bridge (Nuevo Laredo IV on the Mexican side) holds a presidential permit dated October 3, 2024, issued to Southwebb Bridge Company LLC (Federal Register, October 8, 2024). No construction schedule has been published.
Green Corridors is different in kind: an elevated guideway carrying automated freight shuttles between inland terminals near Monterrey and north of Laredo, permitted by the White House on June 9, 2025, "just downstream from the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge." In November 2025 CEO Mitch Carlson told Transport Topics the company was building prototypes and a two-mile test track due in August or September 2026, at a cost he put at around $10 billion. Mexico News Daily reported in August 2026 that the system is not expected until 2031.
Otay Mesa East in San Diego opens for cars first
SANDAG received its notice to proceed in November 2025, and its executive director expected the work to take about three years (Border Report, November 13, 2025). In September 2026 SANDAG told Uniradio Informa that operations should begin in late 2028 ("Finales del 28"), on condition that the binational dynamic-toll technology is approved by both countries, and that the first phase covers northbound private light vehicles, with commercial lanes added in later phases. Trucks should keep planning around Otay Mesa and Tecate through at least 2028.
Douglas, Arizona gets a dedicated commercial port in 2028
GSA broke ground on September 5, 2025 on a $328 million commercial land port of entry on 80 acres 4.5 miles west of the Raul Hector Castro crossing in downtown Douglas. CBP will move commercial inspections there. GSA expects construction activity to continue through fall 2028.
The rest are proposals
Puerto Verde holds a presidential permit issued to Maverick County for a vehicle, pedestrian and rail crossing between the Eagle Pass area and Nava, Coahuila, about 35 kilometers from the Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass crossing (Mexico Industry, June 2024); no opening date has been published. Flor de Mayo is a four-lane passenger and pedestrian bridge between north Brownsville and Matamoros, permitted in June 2024; it is not a truck crossing. Sunland Park has no U.S. permit; its mayor has said the city will update its environmental study and resubmit its application (Border Report). Acuña II-Del Río II is at the corridor-study stage.
What it means for brokers and shippers
- Rio Grande Valley: Pharr has more lanes now, in time for produce season. Capacity is not volume: Pharr's own southbound truck count was down 13.1% in September 2026.
- Laredo: plan on today's two bridges through mid-2028, then the widened World Trade Bridge. Colombia's freight-only bridges are reported for completion between 2028 and the end of 2030, depending on the source.
- San Diego and Arizona: Otay Mesa East and the Douglas commercial port are both 2028 projects; neither helps truck capacity in 2027.
- Also coming: the softer measures in Mexico's plan (longer hours, joint inspections, scanners, truck bypasses) can change crossing times before any new bridge opens.
Cargado is the marketplace for Mexico and Canada freight: brokers post loads and get market rates by crossing, carriers find cross-border loads, and shippers get rates for their lanes at cargado.com.
Sources
- El Informador: Mexico impulsa ocho nuevos cruces fronterizos (Oct 14, 2026)
- Texas Border Business: Pharr International Bridge expansion set to begin phased truck operations (Sep 3, 2026)
- RGV Business Journal: Pharr doubles bridge capacity (Oct 8, 2026)
- City of Pharr bridge statistics (September FY 2025-2026 southbound trucks)
- TxDOT: World Trade Bridge Expansion, notice of availability of draft EA (posted Mar 18, 2026)
- KGNS: Laredo officials give update on international bridge expansion timeline (Sep 4, 2025)
- GSA: GSA launches $328 million commercial port project in Douglas (Sep 5, 2025)
- Uniradio Informa: apertura de Otay II a finales de 2028, condicionada al sistema de peaje dinamico, SANDAG (Sep 25, 2026)
- Border Report: Long-awaited construction on Otay Mesa East Port of Entry set to begin (Nov 13, 2025)
- SANDAG: SR 11 / Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project page
- HCN Times: Nuevo Leon expands Colombia port with bridges and tax incentives (Sep 8, 2026)
- Mexico News Daily: Nuevo Leon new bridges to Laredo (Aug 31, 2026)
- White House: Presidential permit authorizing Green Corridors LLC (Jun 9, 2025)
- Transport Topics: Green Corridors border freight bridge shuttle (Nov 21, 2025)
- Federal Register: Presidential permit authorizing Southwebb Bridge Company LLC (Oct 8, 2024)
- Mexico Industry: visto bueno de EE.UU. al condado de Maverick para Puerto Verde Nava (Jun 4, 2024)
- Rep. Vicente Gonzalez: presidential permit for the Flor de Mayo International Bridge (Jun 2024)
- Border Report: Sunland Park to resubmit application for new border crossing (about October 2025; page shows no date)
- Prism News: Del Rio-Ciudad Acuna bridge history, traffic role and second bridge plans
