Canadian Pacific Kansas City has completed construction of the new international railway bridge, which spans the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas, to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
Kansas City Southern broke ground on the project in late 2022. Built to accommodate growing trade between the United States and its largest trading partner, Mexico, the rail bridge will now be known as the Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge. Its name honors the last president and chief executive officer of KCS, Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, who passed away in July 2024.
Completing this $100 million rail bridge and track work expands the capacity of the most secure and efficient railway trade corridor between the United States and Mexico.
Key features of the Ottensmeyer Bridge:
- New second track bridge with a total length of 1,170 feet
- Ballasted deck plate girder bridge built with six reinforced concrete piers
- Second track bridge constructed on the right-of-way roughly 35 feet from existing track bridge, allowing trains to operate in both directions at the same time
- 4,500 feet of new track
- Enhanced border security investments, including a new VACIS X-ray railcar inspection system and surveillance cameras
The bridge is the only railroad bridge crossing the Rio Grande River linking Laredo and Nuevo Laredo across the international border. The U.S. Presidential Permit for constructing the new bridge span was received in July 2020.
Be the first to comment