Donna city leaders are in the process of expanding the Donna-Rio Brave International Bridge.

Currently, the bridge only accommodates passenger vehicles and empty commercial trucks crossing into Mexico. The expansion will allow fully loaded commercial trucks to cross from the south going north, but first, the city needs contractors to build a new inspection facility.

"The expansion is for fully loaded commercial trucks to come from the south going north," Donna Mayor David Moreno said.

On Monday, Donna city leaders signed an agreement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. General Services Administration that officially gave leaders the go ahead to start.

"The construction phase of the improvements we are going to do here at the Donna International Bridge," Moreno said.

The more than $60 million project focuses on building a north bound inspection facility with a scanning system.

"The truck will be passing by and it will scan. If it sends up a red flag, it will go to secondary inspection," Moreno said. "If not, you never have to stop, and you can just go."

About 20 to 70 empty commercial trucks use this port to cross back into Mexico, but the goal is, once that northbound inspection facility is completed, to have at least a 100 fully loaded commercial trucks cross into the United States daily.

The multimillion dollar project is funded with money from a voter-approved bond and with the help of the Economic Development Council. 

"We also have our EDC A and EDC B that are also participating with about $27 million total," Moreno said.

Moreno says once the 18-month project is completed, revenue from the crossings will go towards paying back the debt from the bond.

The extra revenue will also be used to improve the city's infrastructure.

"To work on those things that will better the quality of life for our citizens including drainage, the pavement of streets and building for more parks," Moreno said.

Moreno says more jobs will also be created because new businesses are already looking to expand in the city.

"They want to make sure when the first fully loaded truck comes over, they are ready with their cold storage, dry storage," Moreno said.

City leaders will officially start announcing they're accepting bids for construction on Saturday. Construction could start as soon as April.

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