Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) announced today it had completed construction of an international railway bridge between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
The Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge will increase CPKC’s capacity at the U.S./Mexico border, the company said. The $100 million rail bridge and track work project expands the most secure and efficient railway trade corridor between the two countries, CPKC said.
“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 CEO. “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.
Started in 2022 by Kansas City Southern (KCS), the project was built to accommodate growing trade between the U.S. and its largest trading partner, Mexico. Its name honors Patrick Ottensmeyer, KCS president and CEO, who passed away in July 2024.
“Pat’s leadership and vision were instrumental in the development and successful completion of this project,” Creel said. “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 bridge features a new, 1,170 foot long second track bridge; a ballasted deck plate girder bridge with six reinforced concrete piers; 4,500 feet of new track; and border security investments. The bridge is the only railroad bridge linking Laredo and Nuevo Laredo across the international border.