By Rafael Perez and Kelly Simmons
The issue of bridge safety as well as long crossing delays made numerous headlines in Ciudad Juarez and El Paso during the month of September. In addition six bomb threats were called in to authorities over the course of two weeks, causing bridge closures and massive traffic jams.
In August, El Paso Mayor Larry Francis announced he would close the Santa Fe and Zaragosa bridges within 30 days in order to inspect them for structural damage. The closure, he said would be for 6 hours and might be accomplished on a Sunday. The announcement drew immediate fire from business leaders in both communities as well as the El Paso International Bridge Commission.
Meanwhile, officials from the Texas Department of Transportation and their Mexican counterparts jointly conducted an early September inspection of El Paso's bridges for damage. They confirmed what city engineers had already determined, that several support pads have been damaged by weight and will have to be replaced, according to Mayor Francis. Francis also said he could ask City Council to hire an independent engineer to conduct further inspections. Once the repairs begin, Francis expects both the Zaragosa and Paso del Norte bridges to be shut down for about six hours. During that closure he also wants the bridges to be simultaneously checked for damage due to heavy truck traffic.
In a September meeting with El Paso business leaders, Mayor Francis indicated that closing the Santa Fe and Zaragosa bridges would take place only at night and that they would not be closed for very long, only for a few hours to complete safety inspections. Francis said he wanted to minimize the impact on local businesses who depend on the bridges, but: "They are going to get closed, one way or the other." Robert Camp Lewis, member of the El Paso Bridge Commission claimed that Francis' arguments are an excuse and that he is "bluffing" in relation to the decision to close the Santa Fe and Zaragosa bridges. Indeed, the Texas Department of Transportation officials have told the mayor that they don't think it is necessary to close the bridges for the stress inspection. Some El Paso business leaders have characterized the possibility of shutting down even one bridge as "catastrophic". However, according to a Diario de Juarez report, Manuel Ochoa, Vice President of Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, stated "the mayor's claim is justifiable and should not be misrepresented by giving it political overtones".
At an August 16th press conference, Francis discounted those who thought the planned closures was merely a way to pressure and get attention from federal authorities for the lack of support for El Paso. According to reports in Diario de Juarez, that same day, Francis declared that " 45 days ago City Council's technical personnel notified me of rapid deterioration of the El Paso bridges due to the excess weight and erosion", and "as mayor it is my responsibility to assure the security of these bridges which are crucial to the transborder commerce". Also on the same day, Roger Maier, spokesman for US Customs stated that the bridges may be closed and traffic diverted for safety issues. But as a means to pressure and protest for lack of federal support, "we consider that Francis has no authority or jurisdiction to block or close the bridges".
Business representatives from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez were to meet in early September with the two cities' mayors and other officials to discuss their concerns regarding the long time it takes for commuters to cross the international bridges, the resulting loss of business to the Santa Teresa crossing, as well as the decision in late August by Mayor Francis to temporarily close the Zaragosa and Santa Fe bridges. "The situation has motivated some maquiladora managers to use the New Mexico bridge in Santa Teresa since it is much faster to cross through there", said Miguel Angel Calderon Rodriguez, director of Canacintra in an interview published in Diario de Juarez.
The meeting was to have taken place in the Texas Commerce Bank on Wednesday, September 11. Business representatives from both sides of the border are concerned about the impact that the decreased flow of consumers may have on their revenues. The border crossing problem has gotten so bad that industries are using the Santa Teresa crossing. Calderon said given the problems facing commuters crossing the Juarez bridges, such as the exhausting inspections by U.S. Customs, that the Santa Teresa crossing may be the answer in the meantime. He stated the problem is not one of enough bridges in El Paso, it is simply the delays in crossing.
El Paso Mayor Larry Francis organized the meeting with business leaders from both sides to air their concerns about long delays and shoppers using the New Mexico crossing in Santa Teresa instead of the Cordova, Santa Fe and Zaragosa bridges in El Paso. According to reports in Diario de Juarez, they feel their businesses will experience a negative economic impact when commuters use the New Mexico crossing instead of the Texas bridges. Commuters have been experiencing long lines and hours of delay in crossing in Texas due, in part, to reconstruction of the Santa Fe bridge. In addition, business representatives from both sides of the border are upset at El Paso Mayor Larry Francis' August declaration that both the Zaragosa and Paso del Norte bridges will have to be closed simultaneously for stress tests to check for damage from trucks idling on the bridges waiting to cross.
The bi-national meeting was cancelled at the last minute by Mayor Francis. The reason was believed to be due to the crisis that Juarez' mayor Ramon Galindo's administration is facing from the resignation of the City Council secretary and her accusations of misconduct (see September issue). Canaco, like Canacintra, expressed their willingness to participate in the meeting hours before it was cancelled. They wanted to learn of both mayors' proposals and actions to resolve the economic issue. Business leaders and representatives in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez are opposed to Mayor Francis' recent declaration that he would close two of the city's bridges for safety inspections. "We oppose the closing of the bridges because we are a city that shares so much and the commercial and social interchanging will be affected in cities from both sides", expressed Miguel Angel Calderon Rodriguez, director of the Chamber of Commerce, Canacintra. El Paso's Bridge Commission also opposed the Mayor's announcement to close the two bridges, stating that they had not been informed of any justification for doing so.
As September wore on, reports that traffic congestion was easing began to appear. U.S. Customs and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) have posted more inspectors at the Bridge of the Americas and the Paso del Norte Bridge during heavy traffic times to keep lanes moving. In the past month the INS has added about 60 inspectors to the crossing lanes on the bridges and Customs was scheduled to add 28 new inspectors by late September.
Six separate bomb threats, including two threats in the same day, over the course of two weeks had traffic snarled and pedestrians in Ciudad Juarez and El Paso waiting while authorities searched for explosive devices. None have been found.
There has been no official comment from either side as to a reason behind the recent rash of bomb threats at the bridges, which has created havoc between the two communities.
Sources: El Paso Times, Diario de Juarez, El Norte