Decline in traffic at international bridges

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — At the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge, people continue to commute to and from nearby Reynosa, but at much slower rates than what was being reported a year ago.

All Rio Grande Valley international bridges saw a decrease in traffic from March 2024 to March 2025.

The McAllen-Hidalgo and Anzalduas bridge boards held a meeting on Monday, where the drop in traffic was discussed.

"This doesn't happen often," said Superintendent of Bridges Juan Olaguibel. "I think the last time we saw something like this was during the COVID times. We saw a decline like this, but did we bounce back from COVID? Yes, we did, and I think this is something that we will bounce back from."

The drop in traffic has directly impacted toll revenue, but McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos believes it won't be a long-term issue.

"I think because of all that's going on with international affairs and because of the government in Mexico having a lot more inspections, it's taking a little bit longer for people to cross — sometimes a couple more hours and a lot of people just don't want to do that," Villalobos said.

Travelers at the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge agree that the inspection process has gotten longer.

"Some of my family have been having problems crossing back because they're inspecting everything in their cars and making us wait more than usual," McAllen resident Samantha Garcia said.

According to data collected by the city of Pharr, a southbound car crossing comparison for March 2024-2025 shows that the Progreso International Bridge experienced the biggest decline in traffic, with a 36% drop. All the Valley international bridges reported a drop in traffic. Combined, the McAllen-Hidalgo and Anzalduas crossings dropped by 109,976 cars.

Olaguibel, who oversees the McAllen-Hidalgo and Anzalduas international bridges, said the data is concerning.

"There is a concern about the traffic that's happening," he said. "We do work with the state department, and we are working with the Mexican state department. We want to make sure that whatever can be done by a municipality, we do it."