NEW U.S.-MEXICO BORDER CROSSING TO OPEN DECEMBER 15 NEAR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MATAMOROS 000177 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/MEX, EEB/TRA TREASURY FOR IA NSC FOR RACHEL WALSH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ECIN EIND ELTN ETRD MX SUBJECT: NEW U.S.-MEXICO BORDER CROSSING TO OPEN DECEMBER 15 NEAR MCALLEN, TEXAS MATAMOROS 00000177 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Summary: The Anzalduas International Bridge, located between McAllen, Texas, and Reynosa, Mexico, will begin operations on Tuesday, December 15, with a low-key "soft opening" to be followed by a large-scale ceremonial one in January. Both Mexican and Texan officials predict this new crossing will have an immediate positive economic impact on both sides of the border, and have high expectations for increased long-term growth as well. Local businesses applaud the opening of Anzalduas but maquiladora owners in particular continue to push for authorization for commercial crossings ahead of the current 2015 implementation date. The ceremonial opening of the bridge in January will provide a significant USG public diplomacy opportunity. End Summary. -------------- Opening Details -------------- ¶2. The Anzalduas International Bridge, spanning the Rio Grande just southwest of McAllen, Texas, and west of Reynosa, Mexico, will begin operations with a "soft opening" on December 15 at 6 a.m. CST attended by the Bridge Board, local politicians and media. This will be preceded on December 14 by a 12:30 p.m. briefing that will include the Bridge Board chairman, the General Services Administration (GSA),and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Local and U.S. officials have proposed January 16, 2010, for a large-scale ceremonial opening. Mexican Foreign Ministry (SRE) representatives have not confirmed the January date or the GOM's level of participation. Mexican officials have repeatedly reminded us that then-President Clinton attended the last border-crossing inauguration 10 years ago, and have said that they are eager for a similar POTUS-Calderon event. -------------- Bridge Facts -------------- ¶3. Anzalduas International Bridge will be the fifth international crossing connecting Hidalgo County, Texas, and the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It will be the closest international bridge to Monterrey, Mexico, and Mexico City. The bridge is approximately four miles long, half in the U.S., half in Mexico. It features two southbound and two northbound lanes with two additional lanes for disabled vehicles. Lanes of the span are elevated to protect an adjacent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge. The bridge will operate seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will accommodate passenger vehicles and buses only. The Presidential permit for Anzalduas, issued in 1999, does not permit commercial traffic on the bridge. Trailer-truck traffic is currently scheduled to begin in 2015 or sooner if the nearby Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge reaches a tripwire of 15,000 northbound commercial vehicles per week. -------------- Stronger cross-border economic and community ties anticipated -------------- ¶4. Reynosa Mayor Oscar Luebbert told Consul General he expects Anzalduas to help reduce downtown congestion in his city by diverting northbound passenger and bus traffic that currently passes through Reynosa. He noted that truck traffic through Reynosa, a significant problem, would also be reduced if Anzalduas were open to commercial traffic before 2015. In addition, he said opening Anzalduas to commercial traffic would help local maquiladoras stay competitive, and most of all, stay in Reynosa. ¶5. McAllen officials anticipate a large economic impact from the opening of Anzalduas due to bridge revenues, increased retail revenue from Mexican tourism, and from the potential placement by companies of new offices in McAllen to manage manufacturing operations in Reynosa. McAllen's Chamber of Commerce expects the Anzalduas opening to attract many more Mexican shoppers to McAllen as soon as next week, boosting the local economy during the peak shopping period of the year. ¶6. The opening of Anzalduas is more than "just a bridge" to many in the area. U.S. and Mexican contacts frequently stress the close ties between the border communities and the effect the new crossing will have in strengthening these bonds. Rosario DeLeon, HR Administrator at Johnson Controls (with operations in Pharr, Texas, and Reynosa) commented to EconOff : "This border community has very strong family and community ties. The Rio Grande River is not the dividing point between the U.S. and Mexico. This is a community." -------------- MATAMOROS 00000177 002.2 OF 002 Maquiladoras want Anzalduas open to commercial traffic before 2015 -------------- ¶7. Black and Decker's Reynosa-based Vice President of Operations John Habermel, who supervises a manufacturing facility that employs more than 2,300, shares the opinion of other local maquiladora owners and managers that Anzalduas should be opened to commercial traffic now. He says margins are lean and there is frequent pressure on the company to move jobs to China, where transportation from factory to transport hubs is easier as direct access roads are often built from industrial parks to ports. He constantly pushes to improve efficiencies at the Reynosa plant to justify its location in Mexico instead of China. ¶8. Comment: The Anzalduas bridge crossing will be a crucial additional link between northern Mexico and south Texas communities and will help advance the region's economic competitiveness. The ceremonial opening of the bridge in January will provide a significant opportunity to highlight USG efforts to facilitate legitimate trade and travel. In addition, it may also provide a useful local counterweight to frequently-voiced concerns here related to the symbolism of the border fence and the reality of long crossing delays. BARKIN