The groundbreaking, if you will, was held to officially commence what will be the new facade of the first International Bridge Port of Entry which as eloquently informed by Mayor Ramsey English-Cantu, got its last official makeover in 1968 following the devastation of the Flood of 1954 which called for the reconstruction of the EP-PN Bridge which was built in 1927 and was built by Francisco Estrada and managed by Manuel Olivares.
In 1947, the bridge was purchased by the City of Eagle Pass for $320,000.00 with government bonds.
When the bridge was damaged by the flood, the Uastin Bridge Company out of Dallas and Collins Construction out of San Antonio took on the project which was completed in 1968 including the new bridge and administrative offices.
In 1999, the Bridge Enterprise System became an official department under the City of Eagle Pass City Council.
"Now we come together 45 years later to incorporate the original dome-shaped feature of the original facade in this new design (Which appeared in Sunday's issue of your Eagle Pass News Gram) from the 1920's."
Cantu added that the project would take approximately 75 days to complete and will not interfere with the day to day operations of the bridge.
Mario Diaz International Bridge System Director, informed The News Gram that this is an extension of what the Main Street Project has been trying to accomplish with their facade improvement program, "This project goes along with the facade program downtown. We took this design to the Texas Historical Commission and they were pleased with the results so we are moving forward."
Diaz also informed us that this project involves only aesthetics which will in no way improve the function of the system or affect positively or negatively the flow of traffic. City Manager Gloria Barrientos thanked the media for their support and provided insight as to the significance of both bridges to the City's financial standing, "The bridges are a great support for general revenue and allows us to maintain our low tax rates." When asked how the project would be paid for, Barrientos mentioned that it would be taken care of through bonds approved by City Council which were rated high due to the fact that we have two bridges which provide a steady source of income, a luxury not many other municipalities in the country can count on.
