Pharr International Bridge Updates Hours
PHARR, TX - Effective April 15, 2019, the Pharr International Bridge has implemented new hours of operation, with a pilot program designed to relieve congestion, increase throughput, and reduce wait times that have been exacerbated by the redirection of CBP personnel.
“The following are temporary pilot programs designed to relieve congestion, increase truck throughput, and reduce border wait times at the Pharr Land Port of Entry, due to lack of CBP personnel, as mandated by the federal government to be deployed to the Southern border to deal with the immigration/humanitarian crisis. All pilot programs are temporary. Bridge Staff, Trade Partners, and Stakeholders will regroup on Monday, April 22, 2019 to discuss pros and cons, make adjustments if necessary, or plan for other contingencies,” the Pharr International Bridge issued in a statement.
Dante Galeazzi, CEO and President of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA), noted, “TIPA and many, many others along the border are continuing to push on state and federal agencies to help provide relief to this issue. We encourage you all to take to Social Media, share your issues, and call on our officials like Governor Abbott, CBP Director McAleenan, and our elected representatives to provide immediate solutions to the increasing delays.”
In a letter issued by TIPA on April 5th to Governor Abbott, Galeazzi called for “assistance in providing additional personnel resources to help the growing customs delays at the Texas ports-of-entry (POEs).”
“As you are likely aware, the humanitarian and security concerns in El Paso have made the reassignment of CBP personnel necessary. Unfortunately, hundreds of agents being repositioned have been moved from our Texas ports-of-entry, where they helped process the tens of thousands of commercial cargo trucks every day....” the statement reads. “We cannot emphasize enough the importance of moving additional resources to the border as quickly as possible to assist the understaffed CBP personnel working at our POEs. Every day we delay, the wait times will continue to grow, industry will continue to suffer, and ultimately jobs will be lost.”
New hours outlined include the following:
Northbound
- Small Empty Trucks and Short Trucks (No Trailers)
- Authorized to cross through Car/Passenger Vehicle Lane
- Estimated relief: 250 – 300 trucks daily
Monday – Friday / 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Northbound
- Empty Tanker Trailer Trucks
- Authorized to cross through Car/Passenger Vehicle Lane
- Estimated relief: 250 – 300 trucks daily
Monday – Friday / 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Northbound
- Car/Passenger Vehicle Lane closed for cars, giving priority to commercial trucks. Empty Trucks and Tanker Trucks can now use car lane on top of bridge.
Monday – Friday / 6:00 am – 4:00 pm
Southbound
- Hours of Service remain the same
- Cars/Passenger Vehicles
Monday – Sunday / 6:00 am – 12:00 am
- Commercial Trucks
Monday – Friday / 7:00 am – 11:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday / 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Pharr International Bridge representatives were unavailable for comment. AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the situation at the border and on other issues facing the fresh produce industry.
