Authorities recently announced plans to begin a program to increase the speed of commercial truck processing at a Laredo, Texas, border crossing.
On May 21, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the General Services Administration (GSA) and the City of Laredo announced a partnership to facilitate faster commercial vehicle processing at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo through the Free and Secure Trade for Commercial Vehicles (FAST) lanes program.
CBP says that the lanes are necessary due to high volumes of truck traffic at the bridge causing “severe bottlenecking that stretches into Mexico.”
The program will allow pre-approved, low-risk commercial carriers to utilize expedited FAST lanes, which will reduce wait times at the port.
The construction of the four FAST lanes is expected to take place over the next 15 to 18 months. The city of Laredo will outfit the lanes with the necessary infrastructure and technology.
The partnership to construct the FAST lanes is part of the CBP’s Donations Acceptance Program. The partnership allows CBP and the GSA to collectively accept donations of real property, personal property, money, and non-personal services from private sector and government entities.
“The Donations Acceptance Agreement with the City of Laredo is another strong example of federal and local governments working together to create opportunities for American workers and businesses,” said William A. Ferrara, Executive Assistant Commissioner of the CBP Office of Field Operations. “The construction of FAST lanes at the World Trade Bridge will address longstanding infrastructure challenges and facilitate flows of cross-border trade and travel that are vital to our economy.”
“This expansion will allow us to continue to be the number one land port in the nation, something we are very proud of,” said Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz.