In 1904, when the railroad constructed by
St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway reached Brownsville, it was separated from the
Mexican National Railway line by the
Rio Grande. In 1908, future
vice president John Nance Garner IV presented a
bill to
congress that would allow the construction of a bridge to span the river and connect the railways.
The original B&M International Bridge In 1909, the
Brownsville and Matamoros Bridge Company, jointly owned by St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway and the Mexican National Railway, was incorporated to oversee construction and operation of the bridge. Work began in April. The Foundation Company of
New York lay the concrete foundation, and the
Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company of
Milwaukee constructed the steel spans. To accommodate river traffic, the bridge was constructed as a
swing bridge, an additional expense that proved unnecessary, as river traffic grew inactive before construction was fully completed. The swing mechanism was tested in July 1910 and never opened again. Construction of the 227 foot structure cost approximately $225,000. The first B&M International Bridge opened for traffic on December 12, 1910. The bridge was intended to serve all land-based international traffic, including pedestrian, animal-drawn, automobile and rail. On opening day, the
Brownsville Herald published an elaborate set of
tolls, including five cents for a foot passenger, ten cents for equestrians, twenty cents for an automobile with driver (plus five cents additional per extra passenger) and weight- and passenger-based charges for carriages and carts. Additional charges applied to excessive luggage. Livestock and trade goods were taxed. Children under seven who were accompanied by an adult were permitted to cross the bridge free. The bridge was widened in 1953 and 1992 to accommodate larger commercial trucks.
The second B&M International Bridge In spite of the enlargements, increasing traffic demands made the combined usage of the bridge problematic. Automobile traffic on both sides of the US and Mexican border had to be halted to allow trains to cross. In 1997, a new concrete, four-lane toll bridge was opened adjacent to the original bridge to handle automobile traffic. The old bridge today serves primarily railway traffic, though it was also used for truck traffic before the opening of the
Veteran's International Bridge in East Brownsville. The new bridge features a central concrete divider and a separate pedestrian sidewalk. ==Current==