Cameron County’s West Rail Relocation Project, which removed train traffic from the center of Brownsville and Matamoros and involved construction of the first U.S.-Mexico rail bridge in more than a century, has been awarded the Transportation Achievement Award for Design by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Mexico’s federal government shared in the recognition, which was announced during ITE’s annual meeting Aug. 14-17 in Anaheim, Calif.

The new West Rail Bypass International Bridge officially opened in August 2015. ITE noted that the project removed rail and switching operations from residential and downtown areas of Brownsville and Matamoros, and eliminated 14 at-grade crossings in Brownsville.

Other advantages to the project include improved safety and reduction of congestion and traffic-rail delays, elimination of train noise and improved air quality, and shorter travel times for trains going from Brownsville to Monterrey, Mexico, according to ITE.

The organization noted that the rail relocation project entailed “long and extensive cooperation” between a number of entities, including the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard, International Boundary and Water Commission, Texas Department of Transportation, the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and the Mexican federal government.

The Brownsville Herald (Source)