The Rio Grande in the United States or the Río Bravo in Mexico, also known as P’osoge in Tewa and Tó Ba’áadi in Navajo, is one of the principal rivers in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio Grande is 1,896 miles (3,051 km), making it the 4th longest river in the United States and in North America by main stem. It originates in south-central Colorado, in the United States, and flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande drainage basin (watershed) has an area of 182,200 square miles (472,000 km2); however, the endorheic basins that are adjacent to and within the greater drainage basin of the Rio Grande increase the total drainage-basin area to 336,000 square miles (870,000 km2).
Ciudad Acuña, also known simply as Acuña, is a city located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, at 29°19′27″N100°55′54″W and a mean height above sea level of 271 m (889 ft). It stands on the Rio Grande, which marks the U.S.-Mexico border, and offers two border crossings via Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing and Del Río-Ciudad Acuña International Bridge with the neighboring city of Del Rio in the U.S. state of Texas. It serves as the municipal seat of the surrounding municipality of Acuña. The 2017 estimated city population was 201,778, whereas the municipality's population was 214,616. The city is the fourth-largest in the state of Coahuila and the fastest-growing city in Mexico. The area is served by the Ciudad Acuña International Airport.
Amistad Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Del Rio, Texas. The lake is bounded by Val Verde County on the United States side of the international border and by the state of Coahuila on the Mexican side of the border; the American shoreline forms the Amistad National Recreation Area. The reservoir was formed in 1969 by the construction of Amistad Dam. The dam and lake are managed jointly by the governments of the United States and Mexico through the International Boundary and Water Commission. The name of the dam and lake is the Spanish word for "friendship". The reservoir is also known as Lake Amistad.
The McAllen–Hidalgo International Bridge is a road bridge crossing the Rio Grande between the state of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico and the state of Texas in the southwestern United States.
Federal Highway 2 is a free part of the Mexican federal highway corridors that runs along the U.S. border. The highway is in two separate improved segments, starting in the west at Tijuana, Baja California, on the Pacific coast and ending in the east in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on the Gulf of Mexico. Fed. 2 passes through the border states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. It has a total length of 1,987 kilometres (1,235 mi); 1,343 kilometres (835 mi) in the west and 644 kilometres (400 mi) in the east.
The Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge is one of four vehicular international bridges located on the U.S.–Mexico border in the city of Laredo, Texas; it connects Laredo over the Rio Grande with Colombia, Nuevo León. It is owned and operated by the City of Laredo and the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes.
The World Trade International Bridge is one of four international bridges located in the cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, that connect the United States and Mexico over the Rio Grande. It is owned and operated by City of Laredo and the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. It is also known as Laredo International Bridge 4.
The Rio Grande City – Camargo International Bridge is an international bridge along the United States–Mexico border between the U.S. state of Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is a crossing of the Rio Grande that connects the cities of Rio Grande City, Texas and Camargo, Tamaulipas. The bridge is also known as the Starr – Camargo Bridge and, in Spanish, Puente Camargo.
The Del Río–Ciudad Acuña International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of Del Rio, Texas and Ciudad Acuña. The bridge is also known as "Del Río International Bridge", "Puente Acuña" and "Puente Ciudad Acuña-Ciudad Del Río".
The Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing is a dam that serves as an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande south of Lake Amistad. The dam connects the United States-Mexico border cities of Del Rio, Texas and Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila. The dam is also known as "Amistad Dam" and "Presa la Amistad".
The Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) is a group of international bridges which cross the Rio Grande and Texas State Highway Loop 375, connecting the Mexico–United States border cities of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and El Paso, Texas, via the MX 45 from the south and the I-110 from the north, crossing the El Paso BOTA Port of Entry. The bridge is known colloquially as "Puente Libre" in Ciudad Juárez, officially as "Puente Internacional Córdova-Las Américas" or "Puente Internacional Córdova de las Américas", and also as "Puente Río Bravo", "Cordova Bridge", and "Free Bridge".
The Good Neighbor International Bridge, commonly known as the Stanton Street Bridge, is an international bridge connecting the United States–Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the Rio Grande. The bridge is also known as "Friendship Bridge", "Puente Río Bravo" and "Puente Ciudad Juárez-Stanton El Paso". The Good Neighbor International Bridge is a five lane bridge with 3 lanes for south bound traffic and one for Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection northbound traffic. The bridge was completed in 1967 and is 880 feet (270 m) long. The U.S. side of the bridge is owned by the City of El Paso. From January 26, 1999 through at least August 24, 2022, a designated commuter lane on the bridge was co-leased and operated by the United States General Services Administration and the El Paso Chamber.
The Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge is an international crossing over the Rio Grande, connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. The bridge is also known as "Zaragoza Bridge", "Puente Zaragoza" and "Puente Ysleta-Zaragoza".
Amistad Dam is a major embankment dam across the Rio Grande between Texas, United States, and Coahuila, Mexico. Built to provide irrigation water storage, flood control, and hydropower generation, it is the largest dam along the international boundary reach of the Rio Grande. The dam is over 6 miles (9.7 km) long, lies mostly on the Mexican side of the border, and forms Amistad Reservoir. It supplies water for irrigation in the Rio Grande Valley, 574 miles (924 km) upstream of the Rio Grande's mouth on the Gulf of Mexico at Brownsville, Texas/Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
The Donna–Río Bravo International Bridge, also known as the Alliance International Bridge, is an international bridge that spans the Rio Grande, providing a crossing of the Mexico–United States border between Donna, Texas and Río Bravo, Tamaulipas. The bridge was opened to traffic on December 14, 2010. Only non-commercial vehicles are permitted to use the bridge, but as of 2019 there are plans to open it to commercial traffic. On the U.S. side, the bridge connects with Farm to Market Road 493. On the Mexico side, the bridge's access road provides a connection with Mexican Federal Highway 2D.
The El Paso Paso del Norte (PDN) Port of Entry is a crossing of the United States–Mexico border, connecting the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas with the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It is among the busiest border crossings between the two countries: more than 10 million people enter the U.S. from Mexico each year at this location. The PDN Port of Entry is located at the Paso del Norte International Bridge, and is limited to northbound non-commercial traffic, although pedestrians may also cross the bridge in the southbound direction.
The Del Rio Texas Port of Entry is located at the Del Río – Ciudad Acuña International Bridge. A pontoon bridge was first built around 1919, and it was replaced by a more permanent bridge in 1929 built by the Citizens Bridge Company. That bridge was replaced in 1987.
The Laredo Convent Avenue Port of Entry is located at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge. 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.
Falcon Dam Port of Entry is a port of entry to the United States on the Mexican border.
The Boquillas Port of Entry is a port of entry into the United States from the town of Boquillas del Carmen, Coahuila, Mexico, into Big Bend National Park, West Texas. Having opened in April 2013, the port of entry that is unstaffed by Customs and Border Protection agents, but at least one National Park Service employee is present while the port of entry is open. Persons entering from Mexico must report to the video inspection kiosks, while crossing of the Rio Grande may be accomplished by foot, rowboat or burro.
