Eagle Pass International Bridge System General Manager Ronnie Rivera Resigns, Accepts Private Sector Position
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2024
The City of Eagle Pass, Texas International Bridge System General Manager Ronnie Rivera tendered his letter of resignation to City Manager Homero Balderas effective November 29, 2024 after accepting a new position in the private sector with a local financial institution.
Rivera was hired as the Eagle Pass International Bridge System General Manager on July 8, 2024 by Eagle Pass City Manager Homero Balderas after a lengthy selection process among many applicants, serving five months as Bridge System General Manager. Prior to being named General Manager of the Eagle Pass International Bridge System, Rivera served five years with the City of Eagle Pass as Public Relations Director and beforehand as a Grant Writer.
During his brief tenure as Bridge System General Manager, Rivera collaborated with City Manager Homero Balderas, City International Bridge Consultants, and the Eagle Pass City Council under the direction of Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr. to finalize the City of Eagle Pass’s application for an amendment to the City’s Presidential Permit for the Camino Real International Bridge (Bridge No. 2) expansion of six new lanes to 12 and to promote and market the Port of Eagle Pass as the most strategic international port of entry for exports and imports through the Camino Real International Bridge.
The City of Eagle Pass is expected to file its application for the amendment of its Presidential Permit for the Camino Real International Bridge expansion to 12 lanes this month in November 2024 with the United States Department of State. The process is expected to take up to 120 days for approval under a new law enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Rivera’s departure comes at a critical moment for the City of Eagle Pass as it is finalizing and filing its application to amend its Presidential Permit this month. The Eagle Pass International Bridge System is the City of Eagle Pass’s greatest source of revenues as it funds approximately 50% of the City’s current $58 million fiscal year budget and it is about to launch the “Paisano Program” on November 29, 2024 for the Christmas holiday season to accommodate the anticipated increased traffic through the two Eagle Pass international bridges to Mexico.
The City of Eagle Pass can ill afford to delay any further the proposed expansion of the Camino Real International Bridge to 12 lanes as the State of Coahuila, the owner of the Mexican part of the bridge, has already completed its construction of roadways and infrastructure leading to the bridge and is awaiting on the City of Eagle Pass to obtain its Presidential Permit amendment and the design and construction of the realignment of the transportation logistics infrastructure leading to the bridge through Fort Duncan Park in the city, a process estimated to take approximately four to six years. The expansion of the Camino Real International Bridge to 12 lanes will eventually consist of building a second bridge parallel to the existing bridge, doubling its vehicular and commercial traffic capacity.
Currently, the City of Eagle Pass is approximately two and half years behind schedule on the Camino Real International Bridge expansion project, causing the City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila and the State of Coahuila to privately comment on the City of Eagle Pass’s delay of the project while publicly supporting it. Rivera inherited the dilemma when hired in July 2024.
Meanwhile, Maverick County Commissioners Court under County Judge Ramsey English Cantu approved in July 2023 to be the sponsor of a Presidential Permit application for the design, construction, and operation of a third international bridge project, composed of one railroad bridge and another commercial freight bridge, owned by a private for-profit company, Puerto Verde Holdings, LLC, in competition with the City of Eagle Pass’s two taxpayer-owned international bridges and the privately-owned International Railroad Bridge at Eagle Pass of Union Pacific Railroad
In May of 2024, Maverick County was granted a Presidential Permit by President Joe Biden to design, construct, and operate these two new international bridges for the use and benefit of the international investors of Puerto Verde Holdings, LLC, without yet Maverick County owning any part of these two bridges despite being the Permittee of the Presidential Permit.
The Maverick County and Puerto Verde Holding, LLC third international bridge project has raised overwhelming and fierce opposition by the residents and citizens of Eagle Pass and Maverick County for many reasons, including, but not limited to, environmental concerns, flooding concerns, traffic concerns, lack of transportation logistics infrastructure, air and noise pollution, water pollution issues, endangered species concerns, destruction of Native American artifacts and burial grounds, destruction or extinction of wildlife and fauna, lack of transparency, safety issues, increased ad valorem property appraisals and taxes, and lack of consultation with the community by both Maverick County and Puerto Verde Holdings, LLC.
The City of Eagle Pass will seek to hire a replacement for Rivera in the near future. Rivera has accepted a new position in the private sector with a soon to open branch office of a financial institution in the City of Eagle Pass.
