Officials with the U.S. and Mexican Sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) announced Friday that the Fort Hancock, Texas–Porvenir, Chihuahua International Bridge will be closed until further notice for needed repairs.
Located 56 miles southeast of El Paso, a recent inspection of the structure by the Texas Department of Transportation discovered deterioration of the timber piers that support the bridge on the U.S. side.
Officials add that only pedestrian traffic will be allowed until further notice. Vehicular traffic interested in traveling to or from Mexico is advised to use the Tornillo – Guadalupe International Bridge, also known in the United States as the Marcelino Serna Port of Entry.
The alternate crossing is located 25 miles to the northwest of the Fort Hancock–Porvenir International Bridge. Hours of operation
are 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m..
Built by the IBWC in 1937 as part of the Rio Grande Rectification Project, the Fort Hancock– Porvenir International Bridge is a small light-duty bridge 510 feet in length with two 8-foot wide lanes.
It connects Texas Farm to Market Road 1088 with an unnamed farm road in Mexico leading to the Juarez-Porvenir Highway (Mexico’s Federal Highway 2).
