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An Old New Bridge Across the Border: Brownsville-Matamoros Gateway International Bridge

5/6/2018

1 Comment

 
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​Situated just 25 miles (40km) from the mouth of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo del Norte) on the Gulf of Mexico, the binational cities of Matamoros and Brownsville anchor the extreme east of the Mexico-U.S. international border. Brownsville – on the southernmost tip of Texas – and Matamoros – itself near the extreme northeast point of Mexico in the state of Tamaulipas – form a classic example of a cross-border sister city community, although in recent years the rise of narco violence on the Mexican side and the U.S. government’s desires to build more border walls in this area have gotten more attention than the rich bicultural histories of these cities. Today we will better appreciate some of this historical heritage by exploring a common, but extremely significant symbol in the Mexico-Texas border region: the symbol of the international bridge. In crossing the Gateway International Bridge (or Puente Nuevo/New Bridge) between Matamoros and Brownsville we will dust off the cob webs of another chapter in the cross-border history of Mexico and the United States.
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Crossing the new international border on the Rio Grande

​The long Mexico-U.S. border is defined in great part by the famous Rio Grande which has marked the international boundary since the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo redrew the two countries’ borders. As a consequence of the U.S. invasion of Mexico between 1846-1848 the border was moved southward from the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains to the Rio Grande. The strategic community of Matamoros (founded originally in 1774 as San Juan de los Esteros) remained in Mexican national territory due to it being located south of the river (while the former northern portion of the state of Tamaulipas was incorporated into Texas and the U.S.). Even though it has been almost completely forgotten on both sides of the border, it is important to note that the first customs house along the new U.S.-Mexico border (after 1848) was founded in 1854 just outside of Matamoros in the village of Santa Cruz – an area which is now the Puerta Mexico on the Mexican side of the Gateway Bridge. [1]
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[2]
​On February 4, 1854, the Matamoros city council decreed the official establishment of the Santa Cruz customs house (alternatively called a “garita” or “aduana” in Spanish): “The Santa Cruz and Fortín Paredes Port of Entry is established as a crossing of the river in this city and its jurisdiction as well as the crossings of Longoreño, Burrita y Boca del Tahuachal, Vado el Capote and Vado La Palma Grande.” The first official port of entry along the two countries’ new border was just a straw house at first but by 1860 the customs house was a wood building (above). [3]
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In this early 20th century postcard we can see how the Rio Grande was originally crossed on ferry boats bound for the Santa Cruz Port of Entry. [4]
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After crossing the river, local people and travelers could continue from the customs house towards the center of Matamoros 1.5 miles (3km) away via a mule-driven trolley which appears in this image. [5]
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​In this International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) map the locations of the Santa Cruz port of entry and mule-trolley route can be seen. IBWC engineers published this map to indicate the construction of a railroad bridge between the two cities known as the Brownsville and Matamoros Bridge. This bridge, the first between the two cities, is colloquially known as the “old bridge” or “puente viejo.”
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The Santa Cruz port of entry between Matamoros and Brownsville comes into focus as the strip of land sharply jutting northward in the right of the image. [6] Courtesy U.S. Library of Congress.
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The Brownsville and Matamoros (or old) Bridge, inaugurated December 12, 1910. This bridge remains in use (below). [7]
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The Old New Bridge 1928-1969

​Even though the “old bridge” essentially connected the two border towns, the Santa Cruz port of entry continued operating for many more years as, even with a ferry crossing, it was more direct to cross into Matamoros through there due to Santa Cruz’s proximity to downtown Brownsville. [8] However, the narrowness of the “Brownsville and Matamoros Bridge” caused many traffic problems as trains, automobiles, pedestrians and carts had to share the bridge. In 1928 both countries worked together to build a “new bridge” between the two communities.
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​Construction of the “Gateway International Bridge” (or “Puente Internacional Matamoros”) led to the demolition of the historic Santa Cruz port of entry and the definitive end of ferry service on this portion of the Rio Grande. The “new bridge” (or “puente nuevo”) – as the crossing is still popularly known – was dedicated on July 4, 1928 and led to the urban development of the Santa Cruz area and its physical integration into the city of Heroica Matamoros as the Colonia Jardin neighborhood in 1945. [9]
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A busy day on the “puente nuevo” in the 1940s. [10]
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​The access area to the Gateway International Bridge from Brownsville in May 2018. Just like in the days of the Santa Cruz port of entry’s existence, border crossers must pay a toll to cross the Rio Grande. The southbound toll booth appears in the center of the image.
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The access to the Gateway International Bridge over 50 years ago – undated photograph from 1963-1969 period. [11]
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Aerial view of the new U.S. and Mexican port of entry facilities in 1965. Note the absence of border fences along the U.S. edge of the river. [12]

The New New Bridge (1969/1970 - Present)
​

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Courtesy Texas Department of Transportation [13],
​What happened to the steel arches in this image of the “new bridge”? The demographic growth of Brownsville-Matamoros and the increase in vehicular traffic forced both counties to modernize their border infrastructure in the late 1950s and early 1960s [14]. Additionally between 1969-1970 the two countries constructed the second new bridge (in reality a pair of spans) each carrying two lanes in each direction in order to promote borderlands mobility.
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Heading southbound into Heroica Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
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A fence and spider web obscure our view of the Rio Grande and Brownsville from the Gateway International Bridge.
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This binational and bilingual monument placed by the IBWC marks the international boundary between the U.S. and Mexico in the middle of the bridges. Note the change in the bridge pavement and curb paint – signs of maintenance differences between the two governments.
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The border is also evident along the pedestrian walkway – note how the sidewalk changes when it crosses the international boundary halfway through the image (the U.S. is in the lower part of the picture).
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The Gateway International Bridge, or “puente nuevo”, is itself a symbol of the profound ties between Mexico and the United States, openly representing the movement of peoples and intercultural exchange. The fact this bridge is the most transited international crossing between the two cities further asserts this point. We will continue our journey through the Texas-Tamaulipas border through the “Puerta México” (1962): An Architectural Welcome to Matamoros.”

​NOTES:

[1] Luis Gerardo González Álvarez, “50 Aniv. De la Puerta México,” Periódico Frontera de Tamaulipas, Jan. 14, 2013 (http://www.periodicofronteradetamaulipas.com/2013/01/50-aniv-de-la-puerta-mexico.html).
​
[2] Manuel Humberto González Ramos, Historia Ilustrada de la Aduana en H. Matamoros, Tam. México,”2017 (https://issuu.com/cronistadematamoros/docs/inauguracion_de_las_garitas).

[3] González Álvarez, “50 Aniv. De la Puerta México,” Periódico Frontera de Tamaulipas (http://www.periodicofronteradetamaulipas.com/2013/01/50-aniv-de-la-puerta-mexico.html); González Ramos, Historia Ilustrada de la Aduana en H. Matamoros (https://issuu.com/cronistadematamoros/docs/inauguracion_de_las_garitas).

[4] Usuario Centli, “Cruzando el Río Bravo,” México En Fotos (https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/tamaulipas/matamoros/cruzando-el-rio-bravo-MX13271740740124/10).

[5] Usuario Centli, “Vista de Santa Cruz,”  México En Fotos (https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/tamaulipas/matamoros/vista-de-santa-cruz-MX13895529520033/8); González Álvarez, “50 Aniv. De la Puerta México,” Periódico Frontera de Tamaulipas (http://www.periodicofronteradetamaulipas.com/2013/01/50-aniv-de-la-puerta-mexico.html).

[6] International Boundary Commission, United States and Mexico. Boundaries between Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tam. Mexico. [Washington, D.C.: The Norris Peters Co, 1910] Map (https://www.loc.gov/item/98686043/).

[7] Usuario Yayozarate, “Panorama Puente Internacional Hacia 1945,”  México En Fotos (https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/tamaulipas/matamoros/panorama-puente-internacional-MX14295394916661/4); Cameron County, “Brownsville/Matamoros West Rail Relocation Project ,” Presidential Permit Application Submitted to the Department of State, June 2003, pg. 21 (https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/261299.pdf).

[8] “Marker 12366: Brownsville-Matamoros Ferries and River Boardwalk,” Texas Historic Sites Atlas (https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/5061012366/MapRef).

[9] González Álvarez, “50 Aniv. De la Puerta México,” Periódico Frontera de Tamaulipas (http://www.periodicofronteradetamaulipas.com/2013/01/50-aniv-de-la-puerta-mexico.html); Usuario Yayozarate, “Panorama Puente Internacional Hacia 1945,”  México En Fotos (https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/tamaulipas/matamoros/panorama-puente-internacional-MX14295395176390/4)

[10] Usuario Centli, “Puente Internacional en Matamoros,”  México En Fotos (https://www.mexicoenfotos.com/antiguas/tamaulipas/matamoros/puente-internacional-en-matamoros-MX13475834320021)

[11] “1960's Gateway International Bridge - Brownsville Texas US-Mexico border,” Bronsbil Estacion Blogspot, April 17, 2015 (http://bronsbilestacion.blogspot.com/2015/04/1960s-brownsville-texas-us-mexico.html).

[12] “1960's Gateway International Bridge - Brownsville Texas US-Mexico border,” Bronsbil Estacion Blogspot, (http://bronsbilestacion.blogspot.com/2015/04/1960s-brownsville-texas-us-mexico.html)

[13] Texas-Mexico International Bridges and Border Crossings: Existing and Proposed 2015, Texas Department of Transportation, 2015, pgs 4-5 (https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/iro/international-bridges.pdf)

[14] Alicia A. Garza and Christopher Long, “Brownsville, Texas,” Handbook of Texas Online, June 10, 2010 (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hdb04)
1 Comment
Joyce Construction link
5/25/2024 19:39:07

What a fascinating deep dive into the history of the Gateway International Bridge! It's incredible to see how this crossing has evolved over the years, from its humble beginnings at the Santa Cruz port of entry to becoming a vital link between Brownsville and Matamoros. This piece beautifully highlights the rich bicultural heritage and ongoing connection between these sister cities.

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    Carlos Parra

    U.S.-Mexican, Latino, and Border Historian

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  • Nomadic Border
    • Echoes from the Borderlands >
      • Battle of Ambos Nogales (Part I)
      • Battle of Ambos Nogales (Part II)
      • The Chicano Moratorium 50 Years Later
      • Monumental Border Mistakes: Boundary Monument 127
      • Mexico's Lost Archipelago >
        • Mexico's Claims to the Channel Islands
        • Brown Beret Occupation of Catalina Island
        • Catalina: Borderland at Sea
        • San Clemente Island: A "Voyage into the Heart of Darkness"?
        • San Miguel: Island of Many Kingdoms
    • Border Crossings
    • PHOTO ESSAYS
    • ABOUT ME
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  • La Frontera Nomada
    • EXPOSICIONES EN LINEA >
      • La Batalla del 27 de agosto entre los Ambos Nogales (Parte I)
      • La Batalla del 27 de agosto entre los Ambos Nogales (Parte 2)
      • El Archipielago Mexicano Perdido >
        • El Reclamo Mexicano Sobre el Archipiélago del Norte en California
      • La Moratoria Chicana a sus 50 Años
    • FOTO GALERIAS
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    • Condiciones de Uso