December 22, 2024 - TRA Newswire -

Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge more than doubles CPKC capacity at the Laredo border crossing.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) (CPKC) said it has completed construction of the new international railway bridge span over the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas, to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.  

“Completion of this internationally important project more than doubles our capacity to move freight through the border at the largest international trade port of entry in North America,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and Chief Executive Officer. “This is an important milestone that keeps Laredo-Nuevo Laredo at the center of North American trade, allowing the secure and efficient movement of more imports and exports across the U.S.-Mexico border.

“By linking expanding markets for our customers, this CPKC investment will accelerate growth between the industrial heartland of Mexico and points across the United States and Canada," Creel added.

Kansas City Southern (KCS) 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 now will be known as the Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge. Its name honours the last president and chief executive officer of KCS, Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, who passed away in July 2024.

“Pat’s leadership and vision were instrumental in the development and successful completion of this project,” said Creel. “His legacy lives on in the work we do at CPKC each and every day, enabling growing international trade across three great nations – Canada, the United States and Mexico.”

The completion of this US$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 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 Ottensmeyer 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 construction of the new bridge span was received in July 2020.

Photo credit: CPKC Railway