Donna Port of Entry (Donna, Texas)

 road bridge, border checkpoint, immigration detention center

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Opened on 14th of December 2010.
It operates from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Construction at the bridge began January 2008. It was originally expected to open in March 2010 but only the U.S. side was completed by then. The Mexican side was completed in December and the bridge was finally opened in a ceremony attended by Mexican president Felipe Calderón and Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX).

The Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge has a long history that dates back 29 years. In 1979, the City of Donna was issued a presidential permit to construct, maintain and operate a bridge across the Rio Grande River. Due to a lack of financial resources, the project never got off the ground. In 1993, the city began the necessary engineering studies to construct the bridge. Progress, however, remained slow and the project again stalled.

In 2002, the Cities of Donna and Mercedes negotiated a partnership to jointly undertake the engineering studies and construction project. The Donna-Mercedes International Bridge Corporation completed the majority of the engineering studies, which were approved by U.S. and Mexican agencies. Nevertheless, the partnership ended following elections.

The City of Donna decided to move forward anyway, and created the Donna International Bridge Corporation to complete the remaining engineering plans and bring the project closer to construction. In 2005, the Corporation received environmental clearance and a U.S. Coast Guard permit allowing the project to be constructed by U.S. Customs.

Finally, in August 2006, after a year of negotiations between Rep. Hinojosa, U.S. Customs, the General Services Administration (GSA), and the City of Donna, GSA was ready to proceed with the Federal Inspection Facilities portion of the project.