The Paso del Norte International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) river connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, US, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Description and names The bridge is also known as "Paso del Norte Bridge", "Santa Fe Street Bridge", "Puente Benito Juárez", "Puente Paso del Norte" and "Puente Juárez-Santa Fe". The PDN is sometimes called the Santa Fe bridge, because its predecessor (prior to 1967) emptied traffic onto Santa Fe Street immediately to the west.
History Bridges between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez have existed at this location for over 250 years,Paul Horgan, Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History. Volume 1, Indians and Spain. Vol. 2, Mexico and the United States. 2 Vols. in 1, 1038 pages - Wesleyan University Press 1991, 4th Reprint, and they have been rebuilt many times due to floods, expansion, and international treaties. The bridge was constructed in 1967. It was renovated in 1991 and expanded again in 2009.
On March 26, 2019, dozens of illegal immigrants were captured by United States Customs and Border Protection agents, who had insufficient space for them in local holding facilities. So they erected chainlink fencing and concertina wire under the bridge to construct a "transitional shelter" to detain them. As of March 30, hundreds of immigrants were sleeping on dirt and rocks, with mylar blankets, portable toilets and plastic portable sinks.
By mid-June, conditions had worsened, with between 100 and 150 detainees reporting most have been held for over a month, without being allowed to bathe or change clothing, in temperatures exceeding .
Border crossing The Paso del Norte International Bridge is a four-lane bridge for northbound non-commercial traffic only, although pedestrians may also cross the bridge in the southbound direction. It is among the busiest border crossings between the two countries: more than 10 million people enter the U.S. from Mexico each year at this location. The PDN Port of Entry ranks second only to the San Ysidro Port of Entry in the number of pedestrians entering the U.S. from Mexico each year.
Approximately 2,000 trains enter the U.S. each year on an adjacent rail bridge. Streetcar traffic also once entered the U.S. on the Paso del Norte Bridge, but that service ended in 1974.Hayley Kappes, "El Paso trolley revival pitched: Activist has plan for bond issue", El Paso Times, March 9, 2012
The American side of the bridge is owned and operated by the City of El Paso.
See also List of international bridges in North America
References