Cameron County intends to purchase Union Pacific Railroad’s ownership stake in the Brownsville & Matamoros Bridge Company, bringing the century-old crossing under county control to expand oversight of cross-border trade and travel.

The deal, announced Wednesday, is expected to close in late 2025 or early 2026 and will fold the B&M Bridge into the county’s International Bridge System, which already manages the Gateway, Free Trade, and Veterans bridges. Together, those crossings supported more than 5.6 million travelers and over $20 billion in trade in 2024.

While Cameron County officials have yet to disclose the price tag, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said the acquisition is more than a historic milestone, noting negotiations began about two years ago. 

“Securing the Brownsville & Matamoros Bridge Company is a transformative moment for Cameron County,” Treviño said in a news release Wednesday. “We’re preserving a vital piece of binational infrastructure and deepening our partnership with Mexico to support bi-national transportation, commerce, tourism, and cultural exchange.”