Pharr International Bridge reports higher crossings in October; monthly revenues top $2 million

The Pharr International Bridge reported stronger traffic and higher monthly revenues for October 2025, the board heard Wednesday. "These totaled 117,682 in October," Bridge Director Luis Bassan said, adding that the total reflected an increase of about 10,654 vehicles compared with the same period last fiscal year.

Bassan detailed both auto and truck traffic, saying southbound car crossings were 50,486 in October and northbound car crossings were 46,414. He also reported truck volumes: "These total 67,196 in October," for southbound truck crossings, a roughly 16% increase year over year, and a combined northbound and southbound truck total of "134,742 in October." Bassan said the northbound truck total included 42,350 full trucks and 25,196 empty trucks, and that 18,897 of the full trucks were agricultural shipments.

On revenue, Bassan said, "On the revenue side, revenues totaled 2,160,583 for the month of October. That's an increase of $450,861, or a 26.37% increase over the same time period last fiscal year. This is the first time in about a year now that we break the barrier of the $2 million per month as far as revenues are concerned." Later in the meeting, finance presenter Eddie Gutierrez of Bluestone Capital Solutions gave a separate accounting that listed "Total revenues of 2,123,726," and broke those receipts into components: "Of that 96% consists of the toll fees, which is 2,039,196," plus credit-card income, bond interest, peso exchange and rental income.

Gutierrez said operating expenses for October were modest: "total operating expenses at $187,449," with payroll making up about 53% of that total. He reported that expenses represent roughly 9% of total revenues and noted remaining budgeted items have seen limited spending so far this fiscal year. Gutierrez also outlined the new debt-service profile for FY2026: "The new debt service for 2026 is going to be $4,213,250," split roughly between principal and interest.

Board members asked about bank service charges and credit-card fee offsets; Gutierrez explained that some charges are offset by fees collected on transactions and walked through recapture metrics — measures of how many southbound vehicles are recaptured heading northbound — which have been tracked since 2016. Bassan and other speakers also noted that with four lanes open on the Mexican side, throughput at Pharr is faster than some neighboring crossings, a factor expected to matter during the holiday travel period.

The board heard no formal action specifically tied to the revenue figures at this meeting, though members later approved a separate resolution requesting the City of Pharr authorize the issuance and sale of revenue bonds to fund the DAP 16 dock expansion (see related article). The board adjourned after approving the regular meeting minutes and completing the listed agenda actions.