Nuevo Leon Recovers the Colombia-Laredo Bridge Concession

The federal government granted Nuevo Leon a new concession to control the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge that connects the state with Texas in the US. The local government considers this concession strategic since it aims to transform Colombia municipality into a logistics hub. 

Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel García, announced that the federal government granted a concession for 30 years to manage the bridge, with a possible extension of 30 years. García stressed the importance of this concession since this border crossing point has the potential to become the most attractive one for Mexico-Us trade. "The potential of this customs office is enormous as nearshoring is leading everyone to invest in Nuevo Leon. Companies like Tesla, Lego, KIA and Quanta, along with various other companies are exploring the opportunities of using Puerto Colombia, Nuevo Leon to export to the US," García added.

According to García, the concession was abandoned by previous local administrations, which led the federal government to cancel the concession in 2020. He also mentioned that the recovery of the concession is proof of the good relationship between the government of Nuevo Leon and the federal government. "With this document, we are sending a clear signal that the government of Nuevo Leon guarantees the solidity of all investments made to strengthen the connectivity of our state with the world," said Marco González, Minister of Regional, Agricultural and Livestock Development and responsible for the bridge. 

The government of Nuevo Leon stated this is part of its efforts to strengthen the ties between Texas and the entity, which considers strategic alliances between the state and Texas Department of Transportation and with the City of Laredo. "We are going to revolutionize the way international trade logistics and cargo transportation are done in the country and, with the governor's vision, we will ensure that Nuevo Leon is always at the forefront," González added. 

On Aug. 09, 2023, MBN reported that the Laredo City Council approved the expansion of lanes of the Laredo-Colombia bridge, promoted by Nuevo Leon. According to the report, the governments of Nuevo Leon and Laredo will equally finance this expansion and, once the technical work begins, each entity will notify their respective federal government. The government of Nuevo Leon considers the bridge critical for cross-boarding trade as it registers over 5,500 crossings per day, a notable increase from the 3,400 registered at the beginning of García’s administration, the local government noted.