Since 2023, New Mexico’s two ports of entry have seen an increase in trade value of over 26%. Officials with the state Border Authority told lawmakers recently this growth means there’s a need to invest in key infrastructure, especially around Columbus.
The Bridge of the Americas is one of the largest ports of entry in El Paso, Texas which handles 600 northbound and 2,000 southbound trucks daily. But in May, federal officials decided to shut down commercial cargo operations on the bridge as part of a larger renovation project.
That will potentially push more crossings toward alternate entries like the one between Columbus, New Mexico and Palomas in Chihuahua, Mexico, and officials with the New Mexico Border Authority said that means there’s a need to repair ongoing infrastructure issues in the area to deal with flooding.
The Columbus Berm Project was submitted by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and seeks one million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for flood mitigation efforts at the port. It’s the only 24-hour border crossing in New Mexico and currently faces a $10 million funding shortfall.
Christie Ann Harvey, board member of the New Mexico Border Authority told the New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight interim committee that it’s critically important the project receive its full funding.
“Because everything depends on that,” she said. “So all the money spent at this point absolutely goes to waste. If we're not able to get the remaining amount of money.”
State Sen. Gabriel Ramos (R-Grant, Hidalgo, Luna) supports the initiative and said that the interim committee members need to talk to the Legislative Finance Committee.
“And make sure that they understand how important it is for southwest New Mexico and the state of New Mexico, just by having that berm fixed and creating the new industry in that area and new jobs,” he said.
Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
