County may lower crossing fee for comercial vehicles

Commercial vehicles using Cameron County international bridges to cross into Mexico could see a .50-cent reduction in crossing fees.

Cameron County Commissioners will vote on Tuesday to reduce fees for commercial vehicles such as tractor-trailer rigs by 50 cents. This means a two-axle truck would pay $7.75 in crossing fees, down from $8.25 that is currently being charged.

County Judge Carlos H.Cascos said he hopes the decrease in fees will lead to an increase in crossings at the county’s international bridges that have commercial traffic such as Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates in Brownsville and the Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios.

“We are just going to give this a try and see if generates additional revenue for us,” Cascos said.

The crossing fees for automobiles, bicycles, pedestrians and recreational vehicles will remain the same.

Bridge revenues for last year didn’t meet the expected projections. Revenue dropped by about $753,000, and officials have yet to determine why.

It could be individuals opted to cross less, a downturn in the economy or an increase in the bridge crossing fees, Cascos said.

The crossing fee for commercial traffic increased by $1.25 last year, according to Brownsville Herald archives.

“As little as 25 cents or 50 cents may be a lot to a lot of people,” which can translate differently to others, Cascos said.

The judge said the decision to propose a decrease in tolls during this year’s fiscal budget occurred after talks between local trucking companies and the county revealed that Cameron County’s crossing fees are higher than those in neighboring counties.

For example, the crossing fee for a two-axle truck is $5 at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge compared to $8.25 in Cameron County, according the City of Pharr Web site.

Cascos said if the reduction in fees for commercial vehicles results in increased bridge traffic, the county could consider additional reductions in the future.