The county will begin acquiring land for a new international bridge in the Tornillo area, El Paso County Commissioners decided on a 4-0 vote Monday.

The vote directed the county purchasing department to acquire the land, using eminent domain if necessary. Once the land is secured, the federal General Services Administration can begin designing inspection facilities for the Tornillo-Guadalupe U.S. Land Port of Entry.

“We are now committed to building this facility,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner Miguel Teran, who noted that the bridge has been in the works for 11 years. A presidential permit was officially approved on March 31, 2005, to construct, operate and maintain the bridge.

The county will provide 108.9 acres of land to the federal government for construction of the port and facilities. Additionally, the county will also need 25 acres of land for its own roadways and toll and administrative facilities.

In addition to the land required for construction of the bridge, the county will also have to contribute around $17 million to the project, with the federal government providing $55 million.

The bridge would be completed by about 2009 or 2010, County Auditor Edward Dion said in response to a question from Commissioner Veronica Escobar. However, Teran said the actual completion date would be closer to the year 2012.

One issue that would affect the timetable for construction of the bridge is irrigation water, which runs through several canals on the land that will be used for the bridge. Teran stated that construction would have to begin during the dry season, when the water flow can be halted without disrupting crops.

Another concern was the possibility of eminent domain in acquiring the land for construction of the bridge, a measure opposed to by County Judge Anthony Cobos.

Teran noted that taking possession of the land so that government workers can begin studying it was the most important step for the court to take.

“There isn’t a choice,” Teran said. “We are going to have to get this land to turn it over to the federal government, and if it requires eminent domain, so be it.”

The negotiation process between the county and landowners is already underway, Teran said, and the footprint for the location of the bridge facilities already has been mapped out. He also pointed out that the bridge and the facilities on both sides of it were approved by 33 Mexican and 33 American government agencies.

Despite expressing concerns about eminent domain, Cobos supported the item because, he said, the project would eventually pay for itself through the tolls collected from bridge users.

“This is a big money-maker,” Cobos said. “It’s going to offset some taxes.”

After the vote, Teran noted that the new bridge would have a large economic impact on surrounding area.

“Sixty percent of all traffic from Chihuahua goes east,” he claimed.

* * *
Rene Leon can be contacted at rene@newspapertree.com, or at 915.351.0605.