A $300 million project to modernize the Gateway Port of Entry in Brownsville is now underway, according to the U.S. General Services Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Channel 5 News learned crews started work in late March, but officials held a formal groundbreaking ceremony for the project on Wednesday.

The project will double the number of primary inspection lanes from five to 10 and expand secondary inspection areas from 15 to 24 spaces with canopies. It will also update inspection technology and build a new space for bridge administration.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino said talks on this project started several years ago.

"There were some updates during the 50s... in the 90s there was some minor painting, but as far as expansion and investment in the facilities, this hasn't been done in more than 60, 65 years," Trevino said.

A new 48,000-square-foot administration building will replace the current 22,000-square-foot space. The 500-square-foot headhouse will be upgraded to a new 6,000-square-foot building. The project also includes a new 9,000-square-foot outbound inspection area and new parking lots for staff and visitors.

The port connects to the Gateway International Bridge and sits on nine acres in downtown Brownsville. In March 2026 alone, the facility handled approximately 148,000 passenger vehicles and 157,000 pedestrians, according to a news release.

The port has been in operation since the 1920s and has seen limited renovations since the 1990s.

For people who cross daily, the wait times are a real concern. Guadalupe Badillo crosses through the Gateway International Bridge every day. He said getting into Mexico is usually quick, but coming back into the U.S. is a different story.

"It can take up to four or five hours to get here," Badillo said. "I go to Matamoros to eat and by the time I get back here I'm hungry again."

Trevino said the ultimate goal is to make crossings faster and easier for daily commuters.

"If we have a lot of traffic, it’s going to take a while, but we want those waits to be as short as possible because many people cross on a daily basis," Trevino said. "They live and work on both sides, and those are the individuals we're focused on."

Trevino added that the project will take 3 years to finish. He said county and federal officials will work to minimize possible delays to crossing traffic during construction.

Project completion is scheduled for late 2029.

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