Laredo Convent Avenue Port of Entry

Laredo Convent Avenue Port of Entry
Laredo Convent Avenue Port of Entry
	Laredo Port of Entry at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge
Location
Country	United States
Location	100 Convent Ave., Laredo, Texas 78040; (Gateway to the Americas International Bridge)
Coordinates	27°30′05″N 99°30′27″W / 27.501415°N 99.507385°W
Details
Opened	1898
Hours	Open 24 Hours
Exit Port	Nuevo Laredo
Statistics
2005 Cars	1,400,000
2005 Trucks	0
Pedestrians	1,200,000
	Website; www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/tx/2304.xml
	U.S. Inspection Station – Laredo, Texas
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Inspection Station-Laredo, Texas U.S. Inspection Station-Laredo, Texas
MPS	U.S. Border Inspection Stations MPS
NRHP reference No.	14000600
Added to NRHP	September 10, 2014

The Laredo Convent Avenue Port of Entry is located at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge (sometimes referred to as "Bridge I" or "Old Bridge" or "Convent Avenue Bridge").^[1] Since 1889, a bridge connected Laredo, Texas with Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas at this location. For many years, this was the only crossing for vehicular and pedestrian traffic between the two cities.

History

The "Foot and Wagon Bridge" as seen from Convent Avenue in 1899

In 1889, eight years after the first railroad bridge was constructed connecting two cities, the "Foot and Wagon Bridge" was built, enabling pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages to cross the border.^[2] This bridge was destroyed by a tornado and subsequent flood in 1905, and again by a mysterious fire in 1920. It was destroyed again by floods in 1932 and 1954.^[3] During each reconstruction, temporary pontoon bridges were built to accommodate traffic. The current bridge was completed in 1955. The construction of the Amistad Dam in 1969 has mitigated the effect of subsequent flooding conditions. It wasn't until 1976 that a second bridge was built to further connect the two cities.

The U.S. Inspection Station building that was built in 1943 was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

References

^ "Gateway to the Americas Bridge – The History of Laredo". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
^ "The History of Laredo". City of Laredo. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
^ Erlichman, Howard J (2006). Camino del Norte: How a Series of Watering Holes, Fords, and Dirt Trails Evolve into Interstate 35 in Texas. ISBN 1-58544-473-1.