Michael S

In the era of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the public and private sectors are increasingly committed to the growth of transport-oriented infrastructure, including ports, highways, bridges, and rail facilities. In particular there has been much interest in international bridges spanning the Rio Grande, the roads and rail lines leading to these bridges, and the port facilities that support the traffic. What is needed is an overview of the geography of ports (both inland and maritime) that are conduits of international trade between NAFTA-member countries. This would involve descriptions of the spatial evolution of port cities as trade increases. International bridges are key to the geographies of inland ports of the Texas-Mexico border. They come about from lengthy and often arduous bi-national and inter-governmental planning. Thus, what are also needed are examinations of the particularities of the planning process for each international bridge. This study aims to address both issues by examining the transportation and related infrastructure of the port cities of Brownsville, Texas, Harlingen, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. It will examine two recently opened vehicular international bridges and corresponding roads and highways. Additional facets of the region’s transportation, including rail lines and the Port of Brownsville, are briefly considered.