Height issue with Tornillo Port of Entry bridge will require levee fix

With all the talk of the issues surrounding the Tornillo port of entry lately, another issue has been getting quietly addressed with the bridge to Mexico itself. There’s nothing wrong with how it works, but something still needs to be fixed because of a concept that may seem strange to people from the area.

“Our bridge was built not high enough from the (International Boundary and Water Commission),” said Public Works Director Pat Adauto. “And so we’re having to build a low-water crossing underneath the bridge so that they can get their equipment into the levee to maintain it.”

But there’s still more to it than that. The IBWC is just one of the agencies and sets of regulations involved in the bridge and river.

“I don’t know if you’re aware – the Rio Grande is considered a navigable water, if you can believe that,” Adauto said. “And because it is, you have to have certain vertical clearance from the levee bottom to any structure above the levee.”

Navigable, as in you can sail a boat or ship underneath it. That’s what the legal regulations are anyway. The height issue was discovered when the Mexican side of the bridge had started construction.

“Ours is approximately three feet short,” Adauto said. “So we need to dig a lower water crossing so we can meet that vertical clearance because we’re a navigable water.”

There is about $200,000 left in the port of entry and bridge budget, and the fix is expected to cost $120,000. The work will be done by the IBWC. Once it’s fully approved by all parties involved, the work is expected to start within 90 days and take about a month to complete.

Commissioners will be discussing the Tornillo port of entry and the car situation and more at the commissioners court meeting Monday starting at 9:30 a.m.