Bridge of the Americas (El Paso–Ciudad Juárez)

{{Short description|Bridge connecting the Mexican state of Chihuahua with the U.S. state of Texas}}

{{Infobox bridge

| bridge_name = Bridge of the Americas

| native_name = Puente Río Bravo

| native_name_lang = es

| image = Bridge of the Americas (El Paso–Ciudad Juárez), June 2016.jpg

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| caption = The Bridge of the Americas as seen from El Paso, Texas, in June 2016.

| official_name = Puente Internacional Córdova-Las Américas

| other_name = Cordova Bridge

| carries = {{jct|country=MEX|FH|45}}/{{jct|country=USA|I|110|dab1=Texas}}, pedestrians

| crosses = Rio Grande
{{jct|state=TX|Loop|375}}

| locale = El Paso–Ciudad Juárez

| owner = City of El Paso

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| begin = 1996

| complete = 1998

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| named_for = The Americas

| toll = None

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The Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) is a group of international bridges which cross the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) and Texas State Highway Loop 375, connecting the Mexico–United States border cities of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and El Paso, Texas, via the MX 45 (known as Avenida de las Américas in its Ciudad Juárez section) from the south and the I-110 from the north, crossing the El Paso BOTA Port of Entry. The bridge is known colloquially as "Puente Libre" ("Free Bridge") in Ciudad Juárez, officially as "Puente Internacional Córdova-Las Américas" ("Córdova-The Americas International Bridge") or "Puente Internacional Córdova de las Américas" ("Córdova of the Americas International Bridge"), and also as "Puente Río Bravo" ("Rio Bravo Bridge"), "Cordova Bridge", and "Free Bridge".[http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/iro/2013_international_bridges.pdf "Texas-Mexico International Bridges and Border Crossings: Existing and Proposed (2013)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203030404/http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/iro/2013_international_bridges.pdf |date=2014-02-03 }}, Texas Department of Transportation [accessed 2015-08-04]

Description

The Bridge of the Americas consists of two bridges comprising four separate structures: two two-lane bridges for truck traffic, northbound and southbound; and two four-lane bridges for passenger vehicles, with two sidewalks for pedestrians. The bridge is one of four international points of entry connecting Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, forming the binational metropolitan area of El Paso–Juárez, alongside the Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge, Paso del Norte Bridge, and Stanton Street Bridge.{{cite web|url=http://www.elpasoredco.org/|title=The Borderplex Alliance –|publisher=El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation|year=2013|access-date=2013-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918024903/http://www.elpasoredco.org/|archive-date=2013-09-18|url-status=dead}}

History

The bridges were constructed from 1996 to 1998. The bridge is owned by the International Boundary and Water Commission, and operated in its American section by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its Mexican section by Mexican Customs. It is one of just five bridges connecting Mexico and the United States from Ciudad Juárez.[https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zl5dYD-h3-Bk.ktH8BpxzL8Vo&hl=en_US "Puentes Internacionales Ciudad Juárez", Google Maps]. As of 2015, it is the only one that is toll free (hence the name "Puente Libre" meaning "Free Bridge").{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Border crossing

The El Paso BOTA Port of Entry is El Paso's highest volume border crossing, carrying more than half the vehicles (trucks and passenger cars) entering El Paso, Texas, from Mexico.{{cite web|url=http://www.txdot.gov/project_information/projects/border_crossing/default.htm |title=Border Crossing Travel Time Study, FINAL Study Report, Volume I: TxDOT El Paso District |work=RJ RIVERA Associates, Inc. for Texas Department of Transportation, Transportation Planning and Programming Division |access-date=2012-07-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226132519/http://www.txdot.gov/project_information/projects/border_crossing/default.htm |archive-date=2008-12-26 }}

In popular culture

The American drama television series The Bridge (2013) is set on the Bridge of the Americas and in surrounding areas.{{cite web |author=Sepinwall, Alan |date=July 8, 2013 |url=http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/the-bridge-producer-meredith-stiehm-on-translating-denmarksweden-into-usmexico |title='The Bridge' producer Meredith Stiehm on translating Denmark/Sweden into U.S./Mexico |work=HitFix |access-date=2013-07-24}}{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The bridge is featured in the Denis Villeneuve film Sicario (2015).{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}