Bridge of the Americas (El Paso–Ciudad Juárez)

Bridge of the Americas Puente Río Bravo
The Bridge of the Americas as seen from El Paso, Texas, in June 2016.
Coordinates	31°45′53″N 106°27′04″W / 31.7647°N 106.451°W / 31.7647; -106.451
Carries	Fed. 45/ I-110, pedestrians
Crosses	Rio Grande Loop 375
Locale	El Paso–Ciudad Juárez
Official name	Puente Internacional Córdova-Las Américas
Other name(s)	Cordova Bridge
Named for	The Americas
Owner	City of El Paso
History
Construction start	1996
Construction end	1998
Statistics
Toll	None
Location

The Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) is a group of international bridges which cross the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) 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 (known as Avenida de las Américas in its Ciudad Juárez section) 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" ("Free Bridge") in Ciudad Juárez, officially as "Puente Internacional Córdova-Las Américas" ("Córdova-The Americas International Bridge") or "Puente Internacional Córdova de las Américas" ("Córdova of the Americas International Bridge"), and also as "Puente Río Bravo" ("Rio Bravo Bridge"), "Cordova Bridge", and "Free Bridge".^[1]

The Bridge of the Americas consists of two bridges comprising four separate structures: two two-lane bridges for truck traffic, northbound and southbound; and two four-lane bridges for passenger vehicles, with two sidewalks for pedestrians. The bridge is one of four international points of entry connecting Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, forming the binational metropolitan area of El Paso–Juárez, alongside the Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge, Paso del Norte Bridge, and Stanton Street Bridge.^[2]

The bridges were constructed from 1996 to 1998. The bridge is owned by the International Boundary and Water Commission, and operated in its American section by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its Mexican section by Mexican Customs.^[1] It is one of just five bridges connecting Mexico and the United States from Ciudad Juárez.^[3] As of 2015, it is the only one that is toll free (hence the name "Puente Libre" meaning "Free Bridge").^{[citation needed]}

The El Paso BOTA Port of Entry is El Paso's highest volume border crossing, carrying more than half the vehicles (trucks and passenger cars) entering El Paso, Texas, from Mexico.^[4]

The American drama television series The Bridge (2013) is set on the Bridge of the Americas and in surrounding areas.^{[5][citation needed]}

The bridge is featured in the Denis Villeneuve film Sicario (2015).^{[citation needed]}

• Transport portal
• Engineering portal
• Mexico portal
• Texas portal
• List of crossings of the Rio Grande

• Media related to Bridge of the Americas (El Paso–Ciudad Juárez) at Wikimedia Commons

31°45′52.81″N 106°27′4.88″W / 31.7646694°N 106.4513556°W / 31.7646694; -106.4513556

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