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Eagle Pass council approves design services contract for Camino Real bridge expansion
Summary
The Eagle Pass City Council unanimously approved awarding the RFQ for design services for the Camino Real International Bridge expansion to the recommended design team and authorized the city manager to negotiate a contract. The project team described a new adjacent six-lane structure and outlined federal permitting and environmental steps.
The Eagle Pass City Council unanimously approved awarding the request for qualifications (RFQ 2025-28) for design services for the Camino Real International Bridge expansion to the recommended design firm and authorized the city manager to negotiate and execute a professional services agreement.
The recommendation, presented by city staff, follows an evaluation process in which three firms submitted qualifications, each was interviewed on Aug. 25, and the evaluation panel ranked the top candidate after post‑interview scoring. Mayor Pro Tem Davis made the motion to award the RFQ; Councilman Garcia seconded it. The motion passed on a unanimous vote.
Why it matters: the expansion is intended to add capacity at an international crossing used by travelers and commercial traffic between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras. Council members and public speakers framed the project as critical to regional connectivity and economic activity, and city staff said the design work is the next step before construction and federal approvals.
City staff described the procurement and evaluation process and said the panel recommended the top-ranked firm based on transparency, technical expertise and familiarity with the permitting process. Dasi Varin, introduced by the design team as the proposed project manager, told the council the firm proposes to build an adjacent structure — six full-width lanes next to the existing bridge — so traffic would continue to flow on the current span during construction. "There'll be no impact on that bridge," Varin said.
Melissa Montemayor, senior vice president and Southwest Texas regional manager for the design team, said the immediate tasks are to prepare a donation acceptance proposal required by the presidential permit (Article 8 referenced by the team), submit a DAP (donation acceptance package) to federal agencies to show there will be no additional federal operating costs, and then to pursue NEPA environmental clearance. "We'll start the schematic phase and then onto the PS&E phase," Montemayor said, using standard design-phase abbreviations for schematic and plans, specifications and estimates.
Public comments at the start of the meeting urged the council to move without delay and to accept the panel's recommendation. Alfredo Sanchez, identified as a leader with The Border Organization, told the council that the government of Coahuila had offered to pay the Mexican-side share of design costs and urged the city to "do your job, award the bid to the recommended company, LJA." Tom Carey, also of The Border Organization, reiterated that the public process called for awarding the work to the panel's recommendation.
Councilmembers added that officials on the Mexican side had expressed support for expediting the project. The recommendation approved by the council directs the city manager to negotiate a professional services agreement; the final contract cost will be returned to council for approval.
Provenance: The council discussed and acted on the RFQ and award recommendation beginning in public comments and again during agenda item 16. The interview dates, panel scoring, design descriptions and federal-permit tasks were stated in the public meeting record.
