City Bridge staff briefed the Port of Entry Advisory Committee on Nov. 17 on the status of the Laredo bridge expansion and an ongoing toll-rate study.

"The anticipated funding needs for capital projects [are] totaling approximately $225,000,000 including a major bridge expansion, toll system modernization, and facility upgrades," the staff said while reading a city manager letter summarizing the study.

Staff also reported the county and a private lead developer (Southwest Bridge) are finalizing partnership agreements and that federal and state discussions with TxDOT and other consultants continue; some negotiation details were withheld as part of executive-session confidentiality. Staff said the environmental assessment for the expansion is about 95% complete.

Several committee members urged revisiting a 1998 resolution that splits net bridge toll revenues 50/50 between the bridge and the general fund. "In 1998 that math was probably right … in today's world, 27 years later, that math is something that we told them we wanna revisit," one member said, urging that the bridge keep a larger share so it can meet operating and debt-service needs.

Committee members also discussed commercial-vehicle impacts and contract timing: staff noted that changes to toll policy can affect carriers who operate under fixed contracts and that contractors may absorb costs until rebid periods.

Next steps: staff will continue negotiations, finalize the environmental assessment, incorporate committee input into the toll-rate study, and provide reports or data requested by the committee. No ordinance or vote was taken at this meeting to change the revenue-split policy.